Lucknow, February 17 Over 53 lakh students are expected to take the UP Board examinations at over 8,000 examination centers on Wednesday.
A state-level control room in Lucknow, which will monitor the examination, was inaugurated by UP's Minister of State for Secondary Education (Independent Charge) Gulab Devi on Tuesday.
A government statement said that the Uttar Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, has been enacted to prevent malpractice and ensure transparency in examinations.
The statement said that strict action will be taken against those found to be indulging in unfair means.
In addition to the question papers, reserve sets have been arranged for the examination, which ends on March 12.
The reserve sets will be kept sealed in a secure, double-locked cupboard, and the answer sheets will bear the logo and marking of the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) in a micro-sized format.
Two CCTV cameras with voice recorders, routers, DVRs, and high-speed internet connections have been installed in all rooms in an examination center, allowing for live monitoring through webcasting.
A total of 53,37,778 students are set to take the exam at 8,033 examination centers, including 596 government, 3,453 aided-government, and 3,984 self-financed secondary schools.
All centers will be assigned a center administrator, an external center administrator, and a static magistrate, the government said.
As many as 18 districts have been marked as 'sensitive'. The statement said that 683 centers have been marked as 'sensitive', and 222 examination centers as 'highly sensitive'.
The state-level control room in Lucknow has issued toll-free helpline numbers: 18001806607 and 18001806608.
Minister Gulab Devi wished all candidates a stress-free examination and good results. She also appealed to officials and teachers to provide guidance to students and conduct the examinations properly.