Guwahati: The Assam state board has cancelled all remaining Class 11 examinations scheduled from March 24 to March 29 across 36 subjects following reports of question paper leaks, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced.
The move comes after the Higher Secondary (HS) first-year Mathematics exam, scheduled for March 21, was cancelled due to a breach in security protocols.
Investigations revealed that 18 schools, including three government institutions, had broken the security seal of the question papers a day before the exam.
“Due to reports of question paper leaks and protocol breaches, all remaining HS First Year examinations stand canceled,” Pegu stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He added that the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) would decide on a revised exam schedule during its upcoming board meeting.
The ASSEB has suspended the affiliation of 15 private schools across 10 districts and barred them from admitting Class 11 students for the 2025–26 academic year. Additionally, three government schools face similar action for violating examination rules.
Police complaints have been filed against these institutions, with further cases to be lodged against others found responsible.
According to ASSEB’s Controller of Examinations (in-charge), Ranjan Kumar Das, reports indicate that some schools opened sealed packets of the Mathematics question paper on March 20, a day before the scheduled exam.
This prompted concerns about the security of other examination papers, leading to the cancellation of all remaining exams.
“While not all 18 centres may have leaked the papers, it is clear that one or two institutions were involved, as the leaked papers went viral on social media,” Das said.
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An FIR has been lodged with the CID Headquarters in Guwahati, and investigations are underway.
The decision marks the second recent instance of exam malpractice in Assam.
Last week, the Class 9 English annual exam in Barpeta district was cancelled following a question paper leak on social media.
Authorities have vowed stringent action against those responsible, underscoring the need for stricter protocols to ensure the integrity of future examinations.
