Wide-ranging steps including use of voice-recorder fitted CCTV cameras to use of STF personnel to counter the copying mafia have impacted UP Board exams during the past two years.
The total registrations have decreased by around 2 lakh for the 2020 exams as compared to last time, latest figures available with UP Board headquarters reveal. In 2019 Board exams, a whopping 8 lakh less registrations as compared to 2018 were recorded.
With the Yogi government coming to power in the state in 2017, the exams that kick-started in March that year had witnessed strict measures to check mass copying. Due to it, 5, 35,494 students, including 1, 32,475 class 12 students and 4, 03,019 class 10 students, left the exams midway.
In 2018, the registrations for class 10 and class 12 however remained at 66, 39,268 mainly because the registrations took place in 2016 itself when these students were in class 9 and class 11 respectively.
But strict measure adopted in 2017 saw the registrations coming down to 57,95,756 for 2019 Board exams as these registrations had taken place in 2017. For 2020 exams, the total registrations have come down to 56, 07,118.
Confirming the decrease in registration, UP Board secretary Neena Srivastava said, “As compared to 2019, we have witnessed a fall of 1,69,980 students at high school level and another 18,658 at the intermediate level for 2020 board exams. In light of the state government and UP Board’s determination to ensure a cheating free exams, many candidates hoping to clear the exams by use of unfair means have decided not to register for the exams. The fall in board exam registrations witnessed in past few years is owing to this very reason,” she said.
Online allotment led to decrease in number of centres
Online centre allotment process for the board exams by UP has also resulted in fall in the total number of exam centres across the state—another reason that has helped in strict monitoring of the examination process by officials. In 2017, the UP Board conducted its exams at 11,414 centres across 75 districts of the state while the number came down to 8,549 centres in 2018 and it further fell to 8,354 in 2019.
In 2020, the UP Board will conduct the exams at mere 7,784 centres across the state.
