CUTTACK: The annual High School Certificate (HSC) Examination-2018 conducted by the Board of Secondary Education concluded on Thursday. A total of 6,08,053 students had written the examination at 2,919 centres this year. Even as tight security measures were put in place by the Board of Secondary Education to prevent malpractice, the examination this year was surrounded by controversies. While 1516 examinees were caught cheating, rumours of question papers of several subjects going viral on social media, even as the examination progressed, were reported. The number of students caught cheating this year is the highest in the last three years.
While 1082 students were booked for malpractice in 2017, the figure was 1,449 in 2016 against 1516 this year. This despite the fact that BSE had formed a five-tier strict vigilance system at BSE, District Education Office (DEO), BSE Zonal Office, Government and district administration level. A total of 125 special squads were formed. While BSE had formed 37 squads, 58 squads were constituted at different District Education Office (DEO) levels. Similarly, the School and Mass Education Department formed 30 squads. For the first time, each two-member squad consisted of an officer above the rank of section officer and a Plus Two-level lecturer.
Last year, 99 squads were formed at three levels. Authorities of BSE, on the other hand, clarified that rise in the figure of cheating case this year is due to conduct of examinations jointly. The High School Certificate (HSC) Examination, State Open School Certificate (SOSC) Examination and Madhyama (Sanskrit) Examination were conducted together.
Earlier, BSE had been conducting only HSC and Madhyama examination jointly. However, this year 13,978 SOSC examinees had also written the examination for which malpractice figure increased, said Controller of Examination, Dr Nihar Ranjan Mohanty. The evaluation is set to begin on March 20 amidst tight security and the results will be declared in May.