KOCHI: A division bench of the High Court has stayed the government order exempting high school ministerial staff and class four staff from the responsibility of higher secondary question paper security. When the examination manual was revised, the responsibility of question paper security was given only to lab assistants. The lab assistants approached the court citing workload.

The SSLC question paper is kept in the treasury under police protection and the equally important Higher Secondary question paper is kept in the schools without adequate security. It was pointed out in the petition that while there are multiple clerks, office assistants and menial staff to assist in the SSLC examination, the question paper is guarded by a maximum of two lab assistants in higher secondary.