This story is from February 18, 2020

West Bengal: One-hour internet ban plan in 42 blocks to stop paper leaks

In a first, the state government may suspend internet operations for an hour in ‘select pockets’ across 42 blocks across the state on days there are Madhyamik examinations. The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) had earlier sought the state’s help to control possible question paper leaks.
West Bengal: One-hour internet ban plan in 42 blocks to stop paper leaks
Representative image
KOLKATA: In a first, the state government may suspend internet operations for an hour in ‘select pockets’ across 42 blocks across the state on days there are Madhyamik examinations. The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) had earlier sought the state’s help to control possible question paper leaks.
WBBSE president Kalyanmoy Ganguly had taken up the matter with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, state education minister Partha Chatterjee and state home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay.
Sources said internet services will be suspended in some pockets in ‘previously identified’ blocks in Malda, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, North and South Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri.
WBBSE has marked several examination centres as ‘sensitive’ and sought additional protection. CCTV cameras are likely to be installed at these centres. Trouble-prone centres will be videographed. The Board has also increased the number of examiners and head examiners. This year, there will be 1,548 head examiners.
Among the special arrangements, like last year, the question papers will be opened at the examination halls at 11:35am. The number of candidates in each classroom will be in multiples of 10. Apart from five officials — venue in-charge, venue supervisors, additional venue supervisors, centre secretary and officer in-charge — no staffer or invigilator can carry cellphones inside the examination halls.
Also, all the leftover question papers, if any, will have to be sealed and handed over to the Board.
“If an examinee is caught with cellphone, they will be reported to the disciplinary action committee and they could be prohibited from the examination. We have informed teachers that smartwatches and phones are not allowed.
This year, the number of Madhyamik examinees has dipped. A total of 33,625 fewer candidates than that in last year will be taking the exam beginning on Tuesday. Last year, the number of examinees appearing in Madhyamik Pariksha had also seen a sharp decline by 18,408 from the previous year, taking the number to 10,64,980.
WBBSE authorities have cited ‘negative birth rate’ in Bengal and not migration to other boards as the reason for the fall in the numbers. Ganguly also refused to acknowledge candidates switching to English-medium boards to be behind the declining number of candidates. “Migration to other boards cannot be a reason for the dipping numbers because data of candidates enrolled under ICSE or CBSE clearly negates the theory,” said Ganguly.
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