New Delhi:
As many as 17 people were sent to judicial custody for 14 days for aiding mass-copying at an exam centre in Muzaffarnagar during the Uttar Pradesh board examinations. The accused, including superintendent of the centre, Yogender Pal, arrested during a Special Task Force (STF) raid were produced in a local court. The alleged mass copying was caught during the Class 12th Physics paper on Saturday when the STF team raided the examination centre upon a tip-off. Officials had seized solved examination papers, a pistol, mobile and exam guides from the centre.
On February 9, it was reported that over 40,000 students, of the 58 lakh registered for the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Board examinations, failed to appear for the examinations. While a total of 20,674 students skipped their paper on the first day of the examination, the remaining 19,718 candidates dropped out of the exams on the second day. Out of 58,06,922 students, 31,95,603 were registered for high school and 26,11,319 for intermediate exams.
"Around 40,392 candidates did not turn up to write their examinations. This is the number that we have tabulated after compiling students’ attendance on the completion of first two days of the exams," the statistics released by the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad read.
From 2018 onwards, the Yogi Adityanath government, which had vowed to prevent students from following unfair means, has been deploying a heavy number of Special Task Force (STF), asking them to keep copying mafia away from the examination centres. Invigilation staff, sector and zonal magistrates have been also deputed at examination centres to avoid untoward incidents.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday also directed all district magistrates and district inspector of schools to remain vigilant against copying mafia in and around the examination centres.
Last year too, a record 10,44,619 students, out of 66 lakh who had registered, aborted their UP Board exams midway, including in subjects like Hindi and home science. This year, the students have skipped their Music and Agriculture papers so far.
Post the government's anti-cheating drive, the registration for 2019 UP Board examinations witnessed a sharp fall of about 9 lakh students as compared to the last year. For the first time, the board is trying to complete the UP Board examinations in 16 working days, which would be a record in itself.
