At KSOU, copying is an open exercise

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Bengaluru: Officials at an exam centre of the Karnataka State Open University, Mysore (KSOU), used a different technique to help students cheat. Instead of using hi-tech gadgets that cost more than RS 2 lakh, which were used by RGUHS students to copy in the semester examinations, crooked officials of the Gangamma Hombe Gowda College’s Wilson Garden exam centre brought a laptop powered with a data card.
Students who wanted answers for the ongoing MBA and various diploma examinations, were given instant downloads from the internet for whatever questions they wanted to answer. All this was done in the open in all the examination halls.
A surprise raid by the state higher education minister, Mr C. T. Ravi, exposed this cheating nexus between exam centre officials and students on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Ravi and some ABVP activists visited the examination hall and found an officer busily downloading answers from various websites using the laptop. Some students who could not afford the online support were using text books!
Visibly upset by the rampant and open cheating, the minister directed KSOU officials to cancel the exam immediately. The minister didn’t find a single officer of either the college or KSOU present as all of them had run away fearing disciplinary action.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Ravi announced that criminal cases will be registered against all those who were responsible for this hi-tech copying.
Vice Chancellor of KSOU Prof. K. S. Rangappa claimed that the university is not responsible for the cheating. “We have given the responsibility of conducting the exam to an organisation and they have selected this examination centre. Due to the shortage of staff we can’t depute our own invigilators to all the examination centres. We have cancelled this examination held at this centre. As part of our effort to make exams foolproof we have decided to make CCTVs a must for all examination centres,” he stated.