Plus Two Chemistry valuation resumes

Valuation of Plus Two higher secondary Chemistry answer scripts resumed on Wednesday as per a new answer scheme, much to the relief of thousands of students.

Chemistry teachers, who had boycotted valuation camps for three days, returned to their duties after the General Education department published the fresh scheme on Tuesday. The teachers had alleged that the answer scheme published by the department and provided to them for valuation had several anomalies.

With teachers standing firm, the department had to set up a 15-member panel to look into the scheme that was published and the one that was prepared by a group of 12 higher secondary teachers at a scheme finalisation camp, and prepare an entirely new scheme.

The teachers welcomed the new scheme and said it addressed the anomalies in the published scheme though the department continued to back it. The scheme, they said, awarded marks for multiple choice questions for which the students had written the right answer but also if they had written the right option number. The earlier scheme gave marks only for the former.

The new scheme also gave marks for questions that had more than one correct answer, and made additions in many places. Students would also get marks for a question for which no correct options had been provided in the question paper if they provided the right answer or had penned any of the given options.

Students would stand to gain around 10 to 12 marks as per the new scheme, teachers said. However, some of the problems with the question paper were reflected in the value points and their marks in the new scheme, they pointed out.

The department decided to go for a fresh scheme claiming it did not want the row over the answer scheme to draw out and delay the publication of results. There had been concerns that if the teachers’ boycott continued, the result announcement would be pushed back, hurting the prospects of students preparing for higher studies and entrance examinations.

The department had also issued memos to the 12 teachers alleging that their answer scheme contained scope for awarding more marks than that stipulated for questions and what the students deserved.