UP Board exams: Govt teachers must complete 20 invigilation shifts, Board stipulates

UP Board mandates teachers to complete 20 invigilation shifts for exams, with strict penalties for absentees, amid past attendance issues.

The UP Board has made it mandatory for all government and government-aided school teachers to complete at least 20 invigilation shifts during the upcoming High School and Intermediate examinations.

UP Board headquarters in Prayagraj (HT File Photo)

Any teacher who skips exam duty will face disciplinary as well as legal action. The move comes after a large number of teachers were found absent during exam duties in previous years.

In 2025, around 32,000 teachers—about 22% of those appointed as invigilators—failed to report for duty. Although they were only given warnings then, the Board has now made it clear that repeat violations will invite strict departmental action, including show cause notices and stoppage of increments and promotions.

The examinations begin on February 18 and will continue until March 12.

This year, nearly 2.5 lakh teachers have been assigned duties across 8,033 exam centres. At least two invigilators will be deployed in every examination room. To strengthen monitoring in unaided schools, half of the staff posted there will be drawn from government and aided institutions.

Bhagwati Singh, secretary, UP Board, has directed joint directors of education and district inspectors of schools to take firm action against anyone showing negligence, whether centre superintendents or invigilators, to ensure the sanctity and smooth conduct of the examinations.

In all, 27,61,696 candidates have registered for the High School exam, while 25,76,082 students will appear for the Intermediate exam. To prevent malpractice and deal with emergencies such as question paper leaks or mass copying, the Board will maintain backup sets of question papers for every subject in every district and centre. These reserve sets can be opened only after instructions from the Board secretary.

Security arrangements in the strong rooms have also been tightened. Four double‑lock iron almirahs will be used to store question papers and related materials. Two almirahs will hold the main question paper sets for both shifts, the third will store unused papers, and the fourth will hold the sealed reserve paper packets. The reserve almirah may be opened only with proper authorisation in case of an emergency.