Videography, webcasting to help Bihar curb cheating in exams

Patna In a major reform of the system mass cheating in Bihar may be curbed and even become a thing of the past if a plan to use hightech gadgets and deploy extra security forces at exam centres bears fruitMass cheating has been reported in Bihar for years and had become an annual feature hitting the news in March every year when reports and visuals of guardians and friends helping their wards surface on a regular basisA Picture of youths climbing the building of an examination centre to help candidates cheat sparked public outrage File PicAhead of the Class 10 matric and Class 12 intermediate exams in Bihar in February and March the education department has directed officials to began preparations for cheatingfree exams by installing CCTV cameras and ordering videography and live webcasting of examination centres Additional security forces are also being deployedWe have decided not to tolerate and compromise on this any more The Grand Allianceled government is committed to ensure cheatingfree exams Education Minister Ashok Choudhary told IANSChoudhary said stern measures would be taken against anyone attempting to cheatAccording to education department officials nearly 14 lakh will appear for intermediate exams from the last week of February and around 15 lakh students will write the matriculation exams in MarchLalkeshwar Prasad Singh chairman of Bihar School Examination Board said that CCTV cameras would be installed outside the exam centres and videography would be conducted inside the examination centresThousands of security personnel would be deployed in and outside of examination centres Officials said not more than three students would be allowed to sit on a bench during any exam to minimise the chances of cheatingAll district magistrates and superintendents of police have been asked to invoke Section 144 of the CrPC and ban illegal gatherings and groups at all examination centre an hour before exams begin In addition parents guardians family members and friends would be kept away from the centresAt a highlevel meeting chaired by chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh here on Tuesday it was decided that if cheating is reported from any centre exams there would be cancelled and action taken against officials and teachersGajender Sharma a teacher at a government school in Arwal district termed as a positive move the efforts to curb mass cheating at examsIt was shameful to see last year photographs going viral nationally and internationally showing people climbing a school wall in the state to fling answer sheets to students inside the building Sharma saidManish Sahu a leader of the National Students Union of India said the state governments committment to ensure cheating free exams should be supported by allStudentstheir parents and family should come forward to help concerned government agencies to conduct cheatingfree exams Sahu told IANSHowever Manish Kumar Singh of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad seemed skepticalIt is big task and not possible Singh told IANSAfter reports of mass cheating last year the Patna High Court too directed the state police chief to deploy adequate security forces to ensure a check on cheatingLast month the education department suspended four headmasters of governmentrun schools where largescale cheating was reported in the 2015 Exam centres from where widespread cheating was reported would be blacklisted officials said