BSE to pre-empt cheating

CUTTACK: To avoid repetition of last year’s ignominy, the Board of Secondary Education Odisha (BSE) is all set to initiate stringent pre-emptive measures during HSC examination this year. In 2011, more than 7,000 students were caught cheating and booked for malpractice. The matriculation examination would get underway from March 19 and end on March 31. More than five lakh students are scheduled to take the examination in around 3,000 centres in the State. The results are expected early June. Announcing the dates, the BSE authorities said checking of mass copying and malpractice, which had reached peak last year, is top-most priority. Surprise checks, raids, monitoring and surveillance would be intensified before and during the examination. More number of special squads would be formed this year to improve vigilance. “The number of squads would be raised substantially at the local level, while the number of special monitoring and raid squads has been increased from 90 to 120 this year. The police have been requested to extend required support for ensuring free and fair examination,” president, BSE, Satyakam Mishra said. In the last Board examination, more than 65 teachers and non-teaching staff were suspended for facilitating malpractice. The matriculation examination was earlier scheduled to be held from February 22 to ensure synchronisation with examinations conducted by national Boards and other state Boards. However, the examination had to be put off on account of the panchayat polls. Last year, the matriculation examination had started from March 16.