Srinagar: Outside her exam center in Nowhatta, Srinagar, Class 10 student Toiba Yaqoob stood in tears, waiting for permission to sit for her first matriculation exam. Months of preparation had led to this moment, but instead of stepping into the examination hall, she was turned away—her dreams shattered by a clerical error.
A simple mistake on her roll number slip, caused by her school entering the wrong name, cost Toiba the chance to appear for the crucial exam. The slip she received bore the name “Toiba Fayaz” instead of “Toiba Yaqoob,” leading to an administrative nightmare that left her helpless outside the exam center.
“I showed my roll number slip, but the name didn’t match. The teachers refused to let me in,” said Toiba, her voice breaking as she recalled the moment. “I begged them to allow me, but they didn’t listen.”
Her mother, devastated by the ordeal, wept outside the center. “Mere bache se kya zatiyaat nikala gaya? Isne kya kiya?” (“What has my child done? What was her fault?”) she cried.
The Principal of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Khanyar, admitted that the error originated at the school when Toiba’s name was mistakenly entered as Toiba Fayaz while filling out the examination form.
“As soon as we received the roll number slip and noticed the mistake, we immediately informed JKBOSE and requested a correction,” the principal explained. “I personally visited their office for seven days and was assured that a corrected admit card would be issued before the exam.”
However, the correction never came. On the eve of the examination, the Joint Secretary of JKBOSE assured the principal that the issue would be resolved, but the next morning, Toiba was still without a valid admit card. At the last minute, the school was told that final approval from the JKBOSE Secretary was required—by then, it was too late.
Now, the only option left for Toiba is to appear for the supplementary exams in two months, as permitted under the National Education Policy (NEP).
While officials exchange blame, a student’s hard work and aspirations have been unfairly put on hold.
