Cheat count unchanged

The number of cheating/copying cases in HSC examination went up from 71 to 92 in Mumbai division this year but the percentage remained the same.

Like last year,when 1,60,723 students took the exam,only 0.03 per cent of the 3,18,811 students who were tested this year used unfair means.

Significantly,the number of cheating cases in the state has dropped drastically in the past five years from 4,035 in 2009 to 2,175 this year.

Mumbai never recorded a large number of cheating,copying cases. The number was 94 in 2009,40 in 2010,72 in 2011 and 71 last year. But schools and parents need to do more to bring the number further down, said a Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) official.

MSBSHSE officials claimed the drop was due to efforts by the board and schools to make students aware of the implications of being caught cheating and change their mindset.

Of the 2,157 cases of use of unfair means registered in 2013 in Mumbai division,1,712 were of copying,10 of dummy candidates and the remaining malpractices.

The number of dummy candidates has also dropped significantly from 25 in 2009 to 10, said Sarjerao Jadhav,MSBSHSE chairman.

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We went to the root of the issue and ensured seriousness of the matter was drilled. We ensured teachers and parents told students if they failed in a paper,they could re-appear in the exam six months later. But if they cheated,they could lose more than a year.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

Divisional board Cases registered Percentage of cheating cases Cases registered Percentage of cheating cases

2013 2013 2009 2009

Pune 548 0.26 359 0.2

Nagpur 767 0.47 1,087 0.78

Aurangabad 178 0.16 600 0.49

Mumbai 92 0.03 94 0.04

Kolhapur 69 0.06 404 0.3

Amravati 135 0.12 789 0.64

Nashik 282 0.19 196 0.13

Latur 59 0.09 506 0.65

Konkan 27 0.09 NA NA