Afraid Of Being Caught, Over 40,000 Students Skip UP Board Exam

Lucknow: Mass Copying is not uncommon in Uttar Pradesh schools and college. But the Yogi Adityanath government seems determined to stop it this time around. According the state board, more than 40,000 students have skipped the ongoing board exams for the fear of being caught.

On the second day of the exam on Friday, 20,674 students did not turn up to write their paper, according to the statistics released by UP Madhamik Siksha Parishad. The total number of candidates registered for the board exams is 31,95,603.

The Government has constituted a special task force to keep copying mafia away from the examination centres. The Chief minister, in a video conferencing on Saturday, asked all district magistrates and district inspector of schools to remain vigilant against copying mafia. Heavy police deployment has also been put in place at the examination centres.

According to the board, registration of students has also witnessed a sharp drop this year because of the stringent anti-coying measures which were put in place from last year. Over nine lakh students dropped out from appearing the 2019 examination.

Last year, a record 10,44,619 lakh students – nearly 15 per cent of all those who had registered – had skipped the UP Board exams.

10 initiatives taken by the UP Board to prevent cheating:

1. The board would conduct examinations under the watch of CCTV cameras, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.
2. The board has issued extensive security in the sensitive zones.
3. This year, the authorities have decreased the number of exam centres from 133 to 128.
4. Phone numbers of some 10 school owners of the district have been put on surveillance.
5. Moreover, mobile phones of exam centre coordinators and officials on duty in flying squad will be tracked.
6. Phone numbers and other details of suspicious school owners have been forwarded to the police for surveillance.
7. In case of any attempt at cheating, strict action will be taken under the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 1998
8. As many as 141 examination centres have been identified as sensitive and highly sensitive in Agra district.
9. Moreover, 109 static magistrates have been deputed in sensitive centres.
10. In case of mass copying, FIRs would be registered against invigilators and centre superintendents.