Unruly elements are being monitored from Whatsapp to social media
STF to keep vigil on sensitive and highly sensitive examination centers to check untoward incidents
Armed forces and CCTV cameras to ensure 24-hour surveillance at collection centers and strong rooms
By Our Correspondent
Lucknow: The Yogi government has implemented strict measures to ensure that board exams, starting in the state from Thursday (February 22), are conducted without any cheating and unfair practices. From WhatsApp to social media,activities of unruly elements are being monitored.
If anyone is found responsible for leaking question papers, parts of question papers, or their solutions for a subject before the exam, strict action will be taken against them under the relevant laws.
Sensitive and highly sensitive examination centers and districts have been identified by the Secondary Education Council and special monitoring arrangements have been made through STF and local notification units to prevent any untoward incident.
In addition, to control the possibility of cheating, question papers will be opened under the surveillance of CCTV cameras, and armed forces and live CCTV cameras have been arranged for 24-hour monitoring at collection centers and strong rooms. The morning inspection of the strong room will be conducted by a special team.
To ensure that anti-social elements or outsiders do not gather within a 100-meter radius of exam centers, district administration has been instructed to take precautionary measures, including imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and other necessary precautions.
Board exams will be completed in 12 working days
Deepak Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary Secondary Education, provided information regarding the board examinations in Lok Bhavan on Wednesday. He mentioned that in the year 2024, the board exams will be completed in a total of 12 working days. Before 2017, it used to take more than a month to conduct these exams.
In the high school board exams, a total of 29,47,311 students, including 15,71,184 boys and 1376127 girls, will appear. In the intermediate board exams, there will be a total of 25,77,997 students, including 14,28,323 boys and 1,149,676 girls will. The combined total of examinees is 5,525,308, with 5,360,745 institutional and 164,563 private candidates.
He explained that due to effective measures against cheating, 164,563 students registered as private candidates in 2024, compared to 353,106 in 2017. Additionally, the number of candidates from other states appearing for the exam has dropped from 1,50,209 in 2017, to 4905 in the year 2024.
He informed that the determination of examination centers by the present government was made online through software, making full use of their holding capacities. Unlike before 2017 when there were more than 12,000 centers, the online center allocation system has reduced the number of examination centers to 8,265 for the 2024 exams. This has made their supervision and inspection more efficient.
He said that the process adopted in the past years has been further strengthened to make the board exams fair and free from cheating. At the state level, Command and control centers have been established not only at the Directorate of Secondary Education in Lucknow but also at the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Lucknow, Council Headquarters in Prayagraj, and 05 regional offices.
These centers will facilitate live monitoring of all examination centers and district-level control and monitoring centers in the state.
Additional Chief Secretary mentioned that to promptly address the complaints of students and the general public, two helpline numbers (1800 180 6607/8) have been established. Additionally, two helpline numbers (1800 180 5310/12) are set up for resolving students’ queries and providing counseling.
Similarly, at the district level, command and control centers, helplines, and other arrangements have been made. Through these, live monitoring of all examination centers in the district will be conducted.
He further informed that an administrative officer nominated by the District Magistrate has been deployed to operate the District Control Centre. Arrangements are also being made to take action under the relevant rules against the room invigilators and personnel who remain absent from their duties during board exams.
It is noteworthy that high school and intermediate institutional and private examinations are being conducted between February 22 and March 9 at 8265 examination centers in the state. Special buses for board exams, uninterrupted power supply during the exam period, sanitation and sanitization of examination centers and surrounding areas, and emergency medical facilities for students and exam personnel are being arranged through coordination with various departments.
Following measures have been implemented in the state for the first time:
– All center coordinators have been trained to ensure the proper handling of question papers and various aspects of exam administration. External center coordinators and static magistrates have also been trained to clarify their responsibilities in exam supervision.
– Computerized identity cards containing secure QR code and serial number have been issued to about 3.11 lakh room invigilators deployed in the examination halls.
– Apart from the QR code, serial number and logo on the cover page of the answer sheets, the council’s logo on its inner page and the page number on each page along with stitched answer sheets in four different colors have been printed.
– A Quick Response Team (QRT) has been constituted which will monitor and take prompt action against efforts to mislead the general public and tarnish the image of the government by spreading misleading news on social media.
