National Informatics Centre bungled in plumbing depths of SSLC data
KOCHI: The overconfidence of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that its rich experience in handling various examination results over the years would come in handy for SSLC backfired as it took up the entire work for the first time this year.
According to sources in the Education Department, the software iEXam developed by NIC was used without mandatory trial run, leading to the entire mess.
The NIC focused on ensuring the safety and security of the online process including insulating it against hacking.
The National Informatics Centre which had ensured complete security checks against hacking ignored the accuracy of the output which came out in the form of ‘A list’ containing details of students and results.
Over a dozen NIC staff were deployed at the Pareeksha Bhavan to monitor the online proceedings connected to schools and the valuation camps.
When things began to go out of hand, panicked teachers sent hundreds of emails from the 54 valuation camps to Pareeksha Bhavan during the valuation time.
“There is no truth in certain reports quoting them that they were not aware of any problems. In fact, Pareeksha Bhavan and these NIC officials understood the gravity of the situation by April 13 when the valuation ended and this was the reason for putting forth the result declaration from April 16 to April 20,” the official said.
“Almost 70 additional data entry operators were pressed into service to check the scores and rectify errors. The error took place because of the problem with the software. However, the published results show that all of them were not rectified which is why students absent in the exam have come out victorious.” Interestingly, the NIC has been successfully dealing with all aspects of publishing Kerala Higher Secondary results for the past few years.
“They must have thought that the complexity of SSLC is the same as the Plus Two. But the SSLC has more subjects and more students and dealing with it demands much more preparedness,” he said.
