School of Shame - Mount Saint Joseph Matriculation Thiruvannamalai caught in organised copying

Her name literally means ‘embodiment of courage’ – but it was a sad end for the 19 year old Engineering student of prestigious Anna University – S Dhairyalakshmi.  Yesterday (17^th Apr 12) she reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her hostel room. In a suicide note, she claimed that she was “leaving” because of her inability to cope with academics.

She hailed from village - K V Palayam in Villupuram district; the young woman seemed to have been perturbed by her poor performance in the exam. Paper reports reveal that daughter of a farmer, she was the  eldest daughter and had scored 92 per cent in the class XII exams.  Her father had taken a bank loan to put her into higher studies.  She reportedly was depressed unable to cope up with the studies.    There are some reports of unbearable stress on those students from rural parts, having studied in Tamil medium finding it difficult to cope up with the speed and style of those brought up in the city.

How sad this reads !!!

Tamilnadu has complex system of education and the school system has an array of differently structured systems.  For many children of the city, education starts at age 3, from when on parents goad them to tough levels, demanding them to do whatever they were unable to do, putting them to grind  by enlisting them in too many courses, tuitions, and extra curricular activities.  Now a days, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find normal children – children are not allowed to play – but watch lot of TV programmes and attend too many classes.  For the empty prattle, vanity  and boasting of parents – children suffer. 

There are many accreditation systems such as CBSE, State Board, Matriculation, and some more.  The Directorate of Matriculation Schools, Tamil Nadu is an accreditation and governing body for secondary schools in Tamil Nadu, India.  Matriculation Schools use English as the language of instruction. They have a unique curriculum until class 10 and follow the Tamil Nadu State Board curriculum for classes 11 and 12.  These schools charge high fees and are considered by some as Convents of good education as they boast of enhancing language skills.  People flock and the mindset of those uneducated or not so wealthy parents is that they would not mind paying high fees (even at cost of their suffering) as studying in such places, would ensure good education of their wards, which was not accessible to them in their young days.

n      .. and what would you do, to an Institution which had proclaimed to be a seat of higher excellence, charged hefty fees but now is revealed to have been involved in a ‘shambolic’ practice of helping their students copy, in order to achieve higher results. 

In the mad mad race to reaching the dizzy heights, it is reported that the Mount Saint Joseph Matriculation Higher Secondary School (known as Mount School)  was caught in the shameful act, which resulted in suspension of 7 teachers, Principal of the school being relieved of examination duty.  The Hindu reports that District Collector Anshul Mishra and his squad of officers have unravelled ‘organised' copying in the SSLC public examination in the  leading private matriculation school in Tiruvannamalai.  The squad raided the Mount Saint Joseph Matriculation Higher Secondary School (known as Mount School) when the mathematics examination had just started.  Instead of frisking students, the team went to the school office and checked the hall supervisors, who were on duty.

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Speaking to reporters after the raid, Mr.Mishra said, “We decided to conduct this surprise check following complaints of large-scale irregularities in the school. We checked the hall supervisors and the school office. We found seven supervisors possessing “bit” papers (with answers on them).  In one supervisor's pocket there was an envelope bearing an examinee's name and her registration number with money in it. At the school office, we found a photocopier printing the answer key. Office assistants were utilised to distribute the answer key to the halls. The school administration admitted they had taken 20 copies of the answer key prepared by them.

Apart from the administration some teachers and persons in the Education department were said to be involved. A thorough enquiry by the Revenue authorities as well as the police has been ordered. After getting the inquiry report, we will take action,” he said.  In the evening Mr. Mishra confirmed that the Chief Educational Officer (CEO) was given instructions to suspend and take departmental action against seven government school teachers found with bit papers.

“We'll also recommend to the government to take severe action against the school and not to have it as examination centre in the future. For the remaining papers in the ongoing Secondary School Leaving Certificate exam, the Chief Educational Officer has been asked to change the entire set of staff members manning the centre. The school principal has been relieved from exam duty,” the Collector added.

What a fall to disgrace and what should be the punishment for this play with the lives of thousands of children.  In the race to top, the better prepared, better performing students always outweigh others. That should be through sheer hard work, sincere studies and good preparation – what should be done to the school where bits were seized from supervisors and the school found printing answer key and distributing to students. 

How cruel on their own students now ?  and what a treacherous act on the other students who had been overtaken by the students of this school in this fraudulent manner.  Now will not the whole World look down at the students of these schools thinking that all of them would only have achieved success by unfair means !!!!

It is time, the Government and Education Department took extremely severe action on the School, its Management banishing them from the education scheme.

The State looks to a very strong action from the Authorities concerned.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

PS:  Read the article in Dinamalar also : 

http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=449852

தேர்வு எழுதிய எல்லா மாணவர்களும் வெற்றி பெற வேண்டும் என்ற நோக்கத்துடன், பத்தாம் வகுப்பு பொதுத் தேர்வில், "பிட்' அடிக்க பள்ளி நிர்வாகமே உதவியுள்ளது. பொதுத் தேர்வு முறையையே கேலிக்கூத்தாக்கிய திருவண்ணாமலை மவுண்ட் செயின்ட் ஜோசப் மெட்ரிக் மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளியின் அங்கீகாரத்தை ரத்து செய்ய, மெட்ரிக் பள்ளி இயக்குனரகம் முடிவு செய்துள்ளது. வரும் கல்வியாண்டிலேயே, இப்பள்ளியில் பயிலும் மாணவர்களை, வேறு பள்ளிகளுக்கு மாற்றுவது குறித்தும், அதிகாரிகள் ஆலோசித்து வருகின்றனர். கல்வித் துறை அதிர்ச்சி: திருவண்ணாமலை பஸ் நிலையம் அருகே உள்ள மவுண்ட் செயின்ட் ஜோசப் மெட்ரிக் மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளியில், பத்தாம் வகுப்பு பொதுத் தேர்வில் முறைகேடு நடப்பதை, நேற்று முன்தினம், கலெக்டர் அன்சுல் மிஸ்ரா, கையும் களவுமாக பிடித்தார். வேலியே பயிரை மேய்ந்தது போல், தலைமை ஆசிரியர்களும், கல்வித் துறை அலுவலகத்தில் பணிபுரிபவர்களுமே, தங்களது பிள்ளைகளுக்காக, இந்த முறைகேட்டில் ஈடுபட்டிருப்பது, கல்வித் துறையை அதிர்ச்சி அடைய வைத்துள்ளது. மாணவர்களுக்கு, விடைத்தாள் நகல்களை வழங்க இருந்த நிலையில், அவை அனைத்தையும், கலெக்டர் பறிமுதல் செய்துள்ளார். இந்த சம்பவம் தொடர்பாக, ஏழு ஆசிரியர்கள் உடனடியாக, "சஸ்பெண்ட்' செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர். இந்த பள்ளியில், தேர்வுப் பணிகளை கண்காணிக்க, வேறு ஆசிரியர்கள் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர். இந்நிலையில், பள்ளியின் அங்கீகாரத்தை ரத்து செய்ய வேண்டும் என, மெட்ரிக் பள்ளிகள் இயக்குனருக்கு, தேர்வுத் துறை இயக்ககம் பரிந்துரை செய்துள்ளது. பள்ளியில் முறைகேடு நடந்திருப்பதும், இதற்கு பள்ளி நிர்வாகமும் துணை போயிருப்பதும் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டதால், பள்ளியின் அங்கீகாரத்தை ரத்து செய்ய, மெட்ரிக் பள்ளிகள் இயக்குனரகம் முடிவு செய்துள்ளது.