KEA leak: Assistant professor exam paper was set 'without supervision'

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) allowed subject experts to set some of the question papers for the assistant professor exam without any supervision, multiple sources say.

At least one question paper — geography — was found leaked before the exam on March 14. The exam was held to recruit assistant professors at government degree colleges across Karnataka.

Sowmya, a 32-year-old guest lecturer from Mysuru who had taken the exam, has been arrested over the paper leak. Her PhD guide Dr H Nagaraja, who is currently the registrar (evaluation) of Karnatak University, Dharwad, has been questioned by the police because he was one of the subject experts who had set the geography paper.

Also Read | Top Karnatak University official behind assistant professor exam paper leak?

It has now emerged that the KEA had allowed some subject experts to set the question papers at the Karnataka State Eligibility Test (KSET) Hall on the campus of the University of Mysore, where there are no CCTV cameras. Some were even allowed to work at the place of their choice without any oversight.

A subject expert who had set a question paper explained how things went: While the entire exercise lasted 10-15 days, subject experts were asked to work from the KEA office only for the first and last few days.

During the intervening period, they were allowed to work elsewhere with no monitoring, the subject expert said on condition of anonymity.

Also Read | Mysuru guest lecturer arrested in assistant professor exam scam

Once different subject experts set the question paper, they were asked to report at the KEA office, where the final draft was prepared.

A highly placed source in the University of Mysore said geography and other papers were set at the KSET Hall, which doesn’t have CCTV cameras.

However, a subject expert who had set a question paper for another exam conducted by the KEA in the past gave a different account of the procedure. The expert said they were asked to hand over all their belongings, including phones and pens, before entering the KEA office.

“We could carry neither paper nor pen. The KEA provided everything. And once the work got over, all the materials that we had used in the preparation of the question paper were burnt in our presence,” the subject expert said.

An aspiring assistant professor, who had complained to the KEA about the geography paper leak, accused the agency of “violating” the due procedure. “How did the candidate get the question paper then? Were the subject experts allowed to take phones or copies of the question paper?”

The KEA claims it followed the due process. Its executive director, Ramya S, said: “It was a confidential work and we did everything as per the procedure. We cannot give you more details because an investigation is under way.”

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