A mathematics teacher’s 30-mark totalling error resulted in a student failing the class X board exam, leading the Gujarat State Education Board (GSEB) to impose a collective fine of ₹64 lakh on 4,488 teachers for similar mistakes in class 10 and 12 exams, The Times of India reported.
The report added that common errors included failing to carry digits and miscalculations, which prompted students to request reassessments.
Here’s what happened
Upon verifying the results during student re-assessment requests, the education board found that a mathematics teacher had made a simple addition error.
As a result, the board has fined a total of 4,488 teachers this year for mistakes in totalling marks in class 10 and 12 board exams. According to GSEB officials, these errors will collectively lead to fines of ₹64 lakh for the teachers involved, the report added.
Board officials were “surprised” to discover that many of the approximately 100 teachers who made errors worth 10 marks or more were mathematics teachers.
Since admission to diploma courses is based on merit determined by class 10 and 12 board exam results, thousands of students seek reassessment of their papers to improve their scores, particularly in mathematics and science.
President of the Gujarat Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association Bharat Patel said that the 30-mark mistake was made by a mathematics teacher who forgot to carry a digit while adding the marks. This error was identified after the student failed the subject and requested a rechecking of their exam.
“In all, 1,654 teachers who worked as paper checkers for class 10 have been fined ₹20 lakh collectively for errors,” said Bharat Patel, president of the Gujarat Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association.
According to the report, in all 1,654 teachers who worked as paper checkers for Class 10 have been fined ₹20 lakh collectively for errors. Teachers are fined ₹100 for every error of one mark. Likewise, 1,404 paper checkers for class 12 general stream are fined for ₹24.31 lakh and 1,430 paper checkers for class 12 science stream are fined for ₹19.66 lakh,” Bharat Patel was quoted as saying.
Kiritsinh Mahida, president of the Gujarat Secondary Teachers’ Association, pointed out that some common errors made by teachers include failing to carry forward numbers when totalling marks, neglecting to account for marks assigned to specific answers, and not rounding off half marks, such as 2.5 or 5.5, in the final tally.
“The fines are collected to ensure that the teachers remain vigilant in the marking process,” said Dinesh Patel, vice chairman of GSEB. This year, approximately 40,000 to 45,000 teachers were involved in grading class 10 answer sheets in Gujarat.