Cuttack: With the annual matriculation examination set to begin in Odisha from February 21, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) on Thursday said that robust measures have been taken to prevent question paper leak and malpractice.
BSE President Srikant Tarai told reporters that a total of 5,10,778 students from across the state will appear for the examination this year. Altogether 3,133 examination centres have been set up across 30 districts and 314 nodal centres for the exam.
To ensure the integrity of the examination process, all the centres will be equipped with CCTV surveillance, while the board will expand the live streaming of the examination introduced last year to 600 centres this time, he said.
As part of steps to prevent question paper leak, the Board has incorporated advanced security features, including QR codes, watermarks, and unique serial numbers, to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the examination process, Tarai said.
He further informed the question papers will be distributed to all examination centres between February 12 and 19. To prevent leaks, the Board has implemented a robust security system, where each question paper bears a unique serial number, enabling swift identification of the source and centre in case of any leak.
“To fortify the security of question papers during transportation, the Board has introduced a cutting-edge digital locking system. This advanced system features password-protected digital locks, GPS tracking, and a triple-layered access mechanism. The digital locks can be operated centrally from the BSE office, through secure passwords, or via specialized chips at designated centres. Any attempted tampering will instantly trigger alerts at the BSE control room, thanks to an integrated alarm system, ensuring real-time monitoring and swift response”, said Tarai adding that special squads will be deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.
The board examinations will be held daily from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, with a single sitting and a unified question paper for both regular and ex-regular students, ensuring a streamlined and efficient examination process.
The board has also made it clear that students can collect their admit cards through both online and offline modes for hassle-free access.
