After a hoax SMS convinced students that they could demand a re-examination by calling on the board's helpline, the number has been inundated by calls from areas like Devgad, Karad, Shelu, Penn, Parbani, Sangli and Chandrapur
The hopeful rumour that the HSC Physics examination may be held again seems to have spread like wildfire, even reaching the interior areas of the state. Counsellors at the board office have been receiving phone calls from the interiors on the board’s exam helplines since Monday afternoon.
MiD DAY reported yesterday that helplines were inundated with calls from worried students appearing for the HSC exams, after they received an SMS asking them to call the helpline demanding re-examination of the Physics paper that took place on Monday
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MiD DAY had reported yesterday that the helplines were inundated with phone calls from worried students appearing for the HSC exams, after they received an SMS asking them to call the helpline demanding for a re-examination of the Physics paper that took place on Monday (Fake SMS sends HSC students into a tizzy).
As the rumour spread, innumerable calls were received from students living in the interiors of Maharashtra – such as Penn, Parbani, Sangli, Shelu and Chandrapur. When the helpline opened on February 14, officials had predicted that they would receive calls mostly from students in Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts.
“HSC students who gave their Physics paper have been calling us from remote places like Devgad, Karad, Shelu. Initially, we felt that since students from the city are much more conscious and aware of services like these that the board is offering, they are the ones who would make frequent calls to the helpline.
But after this hoax message started making the rounds, students from across Maharashtra started calling us. They were under the impression that their calls were being counted as votes,” said Jayant Ghadge, one of the counsellors manning the helpline last afternoon.
The procedure demands that counsellors write down the students’ seat numbers, names and record their queries while receiving calls from the board’s helpline. But counsellors said that the frequency of calls has increased so much since Tuesday that they haven’t managed to collect the required data from the callers.
“Instead of wasting their time by calling the helpline number over this issue, the students must instead concentrate on their studies. A lot of SSC students who have to clarify their doubts through the helpline may not be able to get through.
In fact, we have hardly received any calls from SSC students, even though their exams are around the corner,” said Anil Gadhe, another counsellor who added that the actual purpose behind opening the helpline was being defeated, with students calling in continuously with requests for re-examination.u00a0
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