Cameras to monitor every step of question papers’ journeys

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board has introduced a slew of measures to check the menace of exam paper leak, which has been happening for the past three consecutive years. The class X and XII board examinations of the Gujarat state board begin from Thursday.

The board has issued a set of directives that should be followed by the authorities while the examinations are conducted. To begin with, the set of question papers that will be taken from the zonal office to various examination centres, will have to be placed under CCTV cameras in such a way that they are clearly visible. “This is being done so that the timing of opening the seal of the question papers is recorded. The seal of these question papers at the examination centre will be opened only 15 minutes before the start of the exam,” A J Shah, chairman GSHSEB told TOI.

In the 2015 board exams, investigations had revealed that the seal of the 3pm examination question paper of Class XII Biology at Jai Somnath School in Maninagar was opened at 12 noon. The leaked question paper went viral on social media and several students received the question paper before the examination began.

Last year, a similar incident took place in Dahod district as well. There have been three incidents in the past where examination papers of class X or XII have been leaked as the seal of the question papers were opened much before the examination actually began.

Shah added that another measure being introduced this year is that those who carry the examination papers in sealed packets of 30 each to classrooms, will have to open the seals of these packets in front of a CCTV camera after obtaining the signatures of any two students who will certify that the packets were brought to the classroom in a sealed cover. “There are over 85,000 personnel across the state who are engaged in conducting the board examinations. It is imperative to put these airtight measures in place to ensure there is no paper leak,” Shah stated.

This year on, no one will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside exam centres. “Students were anyway barred from carrying mobile phones, but this year onwards, supervisors and others will also not be allowed. The phones of supervisors and helpers will have to be deposited in the principal’s office,” Shah said.