Electronic eyes & ears for fair UP Board evaluation

Prayagraj: For total transparency in matriculation and intermediate results, the state examination board has decided to have ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ across centres where answer sheets of Class X and Class XII examinees will be evaluated.
Taking electronic vigil a level up from mere district-wise exam hall monitoring from a centralised control room, the UPSEB is installing voice recorder-equipped CCTV cameras across evaluation centres in the state.
While secondary exams ended on March 3, the last intermediate paper was on Friday (March 6). Now, around 3.57 crore answer sheets will have to be scrutinised by approximately 1.5 lakh evaluators. The process is expected to begin from March 15-16 and completed in 10 days flat, i,e. by March 26.
The initial plan was to begin the evaluation process from March 12, but the state board decided to keep a buffer of a few days to ensure safe transportation of answer sheets after Holi. The number of evaluators have been increased to meet the 10-day deadline. Last year, UBSEB evaluation was completed in 15 days.
State exam board secretary Neena Srivastava has written to all district inspectors of schools (DIOS), asking them to provide information regarding presence of strong rooms and availability of voice recorder-equipped CCTV cameras in each hall where evaluation will take place at every centre.
The letter, dated March 2, has instructed the inspectors to furnish information on priority basis. “We are determined to ensure fair evaluation as ordered by the government. If anomalies come to the fore, respective district school inspectors will be held responsible,” Srivastava said.
The examiners won’t be allowed to keep smartphones in their possession at the time of evaluation, she added.