UP board exams begin amid tight security; all exam centres under CCTV surveillance

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Board examinations for Class 10 and 12 students began on Tuesday amid tight security. Over 66.37 lakh students are appearing for the board exams this year.

Special arrangements have been to prevent cheating with CCTV cameras being placed at all examination centres. Across the state, 8,549 examination centres have been set up. Five hundred flying squads have been deployed to check copying and more than three lakh invigilators have been appointed to conduct the exams. 

It is for the first time that CCTV cameras have been installed in all the 8,549 exam centres. Of these 2,087 centres have been red flagged as sensitive of which 566 centres have been identified as very sensitive while 1,521 are sensitive in terms of copying mafia being active there.

While 29,81,387 students are appearing for the Class 12 exam, 36,55,691 will be taking the Class 10 exam. Class 10 exams are scheduled to end on February 22 and Class 12 exams are due to end on March 12. 

UP Board exams are the biggest in the world. The UP Secondary Education Board has been conducting these exams since 1923 and officials pointed out that in the first exams, there were 5,655 students appearing for the High School (Class 10) and mere 89 for the intermediate (Class 12) exams.

The Yogi Adityanath government has vowed to ensure that there is no copying in these exams and Deputy Chief Minister and Minister-in-charge of Secondary Education, Dinesh Sharma, has said the examinations will be an example for all to see.