Drones, squads, and security: Maharashtra’s SSC exams get stricter

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education MSBSHSE will commence the Std X SSC board exams across the state from February 21A total of 1611610 students have registered for the exams including 864120 boys 747471 girls and 19 transgender students The exams will be conducted across 5130 main centres with students from 23492 secondary schools participatingIn the Mumbai division which includes six district zonesmdashThane Raigad Palghar Mumbai City Mumbai Suburbs 1 and Mumbai Suburbs 2mdasha total of 358854 students have registered comprising 187362 boys 171490 girls and 2 transgender studentsRajendra AhireTo ensure a fair examination process authorities have implemented strict measures to prevent misconduct At 701 examination centres across the state the entire staff has been replaced including 139 centres in Pune 93 in Nashik 86 in Nagpur 11 in Mumbai 54 in Kolhapur and 59 in Latur Additionally similar to the HSC exams drone cameras will be deployed at various exam centres to monitor for irregularitiesAmid these developments we spoke to Rajendra Ahire Chairman of the Mumbai Divisional Board of MSBSHSE about the preparations for the SSC exams the effectiveness of the CopyFree Exam campaign lastminute applications and student concernsThe CopyFree Exam campaign has been implemented across Maharashtra How has it worked in the Mumbai divisionAhire The CopyFree Exam campaign has been highly effective in the Mumbai division Over the years Mumbai has not reported a high number of malpractice cases compared to other regions However even in the ongoing HSC exam which started on February 11 the number of copying cases has drastically reduced So far we have detected only two casesmdashone involving a dummy candidate appearing for the Physics exam in Nalasopara and another copying case in Ghatkopar We have ensured stringent vigilance and monitoring at all centresThe board identified lsquosensitive exam centresrsquo for HSC exams and now 11 such centres for SSC exams in Mumbai What happens once a centre is declared sensitiveAhire Sensitive exam centres are identified based on past records of malpractice This year we reviewed reports from 2018 to 2024 to pinpoint centres where at least one case of cheating or irregularity was reported in the last five years For SSC exams 11 sensitive centres have been identified in the Mumbai divisionmdash5 in Palghar 4 in Raigad and 2 in Thane with none in Mumbai City or suburbs Once a centre is declared sensitive external staff is assigned including the chief exam conductor centre head supervisors and invigilators Additionally sitting squads flying squads and surprise inspections will be deployed Police security will also be provided at these centres similar to other examination locationsHow is the board handling lastminute applications and hall ticket generationAhire As per government regulations if a students application is submitted at the last minute with all necessary documents and fees we must process it immediately to ensure they can appear for the exam Fortunately with the system now being online the process has become much smoother As soon as the application and payment are received we generate the hall ticket which students can download instantly and use to take the exam This has significantly reduced lastminute difficultiesMany students feel stressed before exams What message would you like to give themAhire Students should not feel anxious or overwhelmed My advice is to focus on what has been taught revise regularly and stay calm The Maharashtra State Board provides multiple opportunities to improve scores includingATKT Allowed to Keep Term For students who fail in one or more subjectsSupplementary exams For those who need to clear failed subjectsClassGrade improvement programs For students who wish to enhance their scoresReexaminations in July To improve marks in failed subjectsThese initiatives ensure that students have ample chances to succeed Stay confident do your best and remembermdashexams are just a part of your academic journey a beginning not the endHow are sensitive exam centres identifiedgtgt Exam centres are marked as sensitive based on past records of malpracticegtgt If even a single case of cheating is reported at a centre in the last five years it is classified as a sensitive centreWhat happens once a centre is declared sensitivegtgt External staff is deployed including the chief exam conductor centre head supervisors and invigilatorsgtgt Additional monitoring measures include sitting squads flying squads and surprise inspectionsgtgt Police security is provided at these centres similar to other examination venues