TRB’s computer-based exam centres to come up in schools

CHENNAI: With the Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Recruitment Board (TRB) planning to set up computer-based exam centres for conducting various competitive exams, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to establish those centres in government schools across the State for the benefit of the students at a cost of Rs 30 crore.

A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that the decision to set up the computer-based exam centre for competitive exams conducted by TRB came against the backdrop of delay in conducting written exams as there were several formalities including transportation of question papers involved.

“Most of the recruitment process done by TRB have competitive exams to qualify for the next level,” he said adding “if the computer-based tests were introduced for all the exams, the process of evaluation and declaration of results will be easy compared to manual work”.

Stating that yearly about two to three competitive exams will be conducted by TRB, he pointed out “if we set up computer-based exam centres at TRB office or other selected places, the computer systems will be ideal for most of the time”. “Therefore, it was decided to set up exam centres at the high and higher secondary government and government-aided schools,” he added.

Under the first phase, schools with additional space on its campus will accommodate computers. “The number of computers to be installed at the examination centres will be based on the regional demand,” he said adding “persons will be appointed for regular maintenance of the centres”.

Pointing out that the students’ study materials will also be uploaded in the computer systems at the centres, he said: “the computer-based exam centre will be an additional source after high-tech labs, which already exist in the government schools.

“Even interested students, who were interested to know about the competitive exams conducted by TRB, could learn at the early stage with the help of the resource persons, who will be appointed to look into the exam centres,” the official said.

He said all the computer-based exam centres will be inter-connected so that there would be common information for students. “Procurement of computer systems will be based on the transparent tender process,” he added.