State moots rental CCTVs for board examinations

BHUBANESWAR:The State Government on Tuesday said close circuit cameras (CCTV) which have been planned to be installed in schools and colleges for Class 10 and Plus II board examinations will be purely on rental basis and the students are likely to bear the cost.

Secretary in the School and Mass Education Department Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said, “We are working to introduce CCTV in the examination process to do away with malpractice, both in Class 10 board as well as higher education.” “Currently, the department is studying the models followed in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to find out how both States managed to implement the move successfully this time. Accordingly, we will prepare our model, float a tender and finalise an agency for installation of CCTVs,” he added.

It will be completely on rental basis for 10 days or for the examination period. The department will not procure, own any equipment or manage anything, Mohapatra said.The cost each child will have to bear is also being studied, he said adding, “If it is `30 or `50 per child it will be added to the admission or exam fee of the students so that no extra cost is borne by the board or council.” Since about 6 lakh students appear for the board exam in the State every year, the exact cost for the project would be known during tendering, he added.

At least 1,332 students were booked for malpractice during this year’s Class X board examination in February and 2,046 students were booked in CHSE Plus II exams in March.