Security enhanced to prevent Class 12 board exam question paper leak

The exams were originally scheduled to begin on May 5, and all the question papers and answer sheets were sent to the respective district headquarters.

A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that these exam materials were distributed across the State on dedicated vehicles. “They were kept in locker rooms at specified schools across the State. These rooms were then sealed,” he said. During transportation, it was ensured that there was no tampering of the packets containing question papers, he added.

As the pandemic is still raging, with the number of fresh cases inching higher each day, no decision has been taken so far on when these board exams would be held. So it was decided to provide additional security by deploying more personnel to safeguard question papers to prevent leak or theft.

“Separate teams comprising teachers and police personnel have been formed in each district. They will take turns to keep extra vigil on the question paper locker room to prevent irregularities,” he said.

The teams would also ensure that both question papers and answer sheets were not damaged due to bad weather conditions, the official said. “They would also ensure that the exam materials are safe from fire,” he said.

The schools where question papers are kept would have inverters to make sure that power was available round the clock. In some cases, generators would be used if there is disruption in power supply, he said.

More than eight lakh Class 12 students would appear for board exams this year. “About 50 lakh question papers were printed and kept ready to taken to examination centres few hours before the exam commences,” he said.