Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to appoint an expert committee to examine the plus-two Chemistry answer key in the wake of a controversy.
Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that students would get the marks they deserve, and that the students and teachers need not worry over this. A new answer key is likely to be published after detailed discussions.
A section of the teachers pointed out that the Plus-Two Chemistry question paper was difficult and there were spelling mistakes. They said that the answer key was prepared without taking into consideration that multiple answers were possible and that the evaluation cannot be done without rectifying this. The teachers also boycotted the Chemistry valuation camp for three consecutive days.
Subsequently, the education department intervened on the directives of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after ascertaining the veracity of the complaint.
The teachers allege that the answer key was prepared by the same teacher who set the question paper. The teachers pointed out that it has not been taken into account that multiple answers are possible for certain questions and if the answer sheets are evaluated based on this answer key, the students would lose the 12 marks they deserve.
A total of 2.5 lakh students wrote the Chemistry exam. The Chemistry exam mark is crucial as it would be considered for entrance and higher studies.
Circular to teachers
Meanwhile, the education department has issued a circular, stating that action would be taken against teachers who boycott the evaluation. There is no valuation camp on Monday as it is a holiday. The education department is taking steps to ensure that the evaluation is not obstructed due to the controversy.