U.P. Board exams 2023: Now cops to also play role in deciding centres

For the first time ever, police officers will also be included as members in the six-member committees to be formed at the district level across the state for determination of exam centres

In a first, police officers will also now have a role in finalising the list of schools to act as centres for the U.P. Board’s high school and intermediate exams of 2023. For the first time ever, police officers will also be included as members in the six-member committees to be formed at the district level across the state for determination of exam centres, said state secondary education department officials in the know of the move.

The district inspector of schools of the district concerned will be the member secretary of the committee. (For Representation)

The committees will be constituted under respective district magistrates. District police chief, be it senior superintendent of police or superintendent of police, or a police officer nominated by the police commissioner as the case may be, will be included in the committee as a member as per the board examination policy for 2023 issued by the state government, they added.

As per the centre allotment policy for 2023 exam, a copy of which is with HT, the district inspector of schools (DIoS) of the district concerned will be the member secretary of the committee. Along with the basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) and the SDM posted in tehsils and two senior principals of the district will be the members of the committee. Out of them, one principal will be from government school and one from a school based in rural area, the policy spells out.

In this, UP Board examination centre allotment policy sent by special secretary, secondary education, Ved Pati Mishra to the director, secondary education and the chairman, UP Board, as well as to the secretary, UP Board, on October 19, 2022, the district level committee has been spelled out in detail. Even before this, the district level committees were constituted under DMs but there were only two senior principals along with DIoS, BSA and SDM. The police officers had no role in it, officials said.

Although the exact role of police officers has not been mentioned in the mandate, it is believed that they have been included so that correct information can be obtained about the schools which have been found involved in facilitating mass copying in the previous examinations or in incidents of paper leaks or such activities undermining the sanctity of the exams.

When such an incident happens, only the policemen of the police station concerned reach the spot immediately and they know who is responsible for the disturbances at the centre and who are the people involved in it. It is believed that having a police officer in the committees would prevent these schools from becoming exam centres by presenting wrong facts related to their involvement in such incidents.