HSC exams: 20 % drop in copying, 240 cases reported in 10 days

Officials, however, said that there has been an almost 20 per cent drop in such cases when compared to the last three years. In contrast to this year, officials said that 173 cases of copying and malpractices were reported on the very first day of the HSC exams in 2014.

The cases of malpractices this year includes students involved in copying as well as exam supervisors allegedly assisting with the cheating. “The board’s campaign of ‘malpractices and copy free board exams’ has helped bring down copying cases to a large extent. The highest number of cases were reported in the Aurangabad division with 81 cases; followed by Pune with 50 cases; Nashik with 42 cases; Amravati with 42 cases; Nagpur with 35 cases and Kolhapur division with 22 cases. Mumbai division has recorded only five copying cases till March 2,” said Krishna Patil, the Secretary of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.

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In an attempt to curb cheating, the board has deployed sitting squads at every examination centre comprised of at least two members each. As many as seven flying squads have already been assigned to every district, which includes two male and two female officers to keep an eye on the schools and junior colleges.

“The state board has constituted 284 flying squads, which includes 27 in the Mumbai division. Besides this, the state board has also enrolled the help of the collectors office in all the divisions as well as the local police to keep an eye on malpractices during the exams,” said Laxminant Pande, chairman of the Mumbai divisional board.

On the possible action against students caught copying, Pande said they will be handed the ‘1+1’ action, under which, they will be banned for appearing in the remaining exams as well as the HSC exams to be held in the following year.

Activist complains of mass copying

An activist from Morba village at Mangaon in Raigad district on Tuesday wrote to the state board officials and the education minister alleging mass copying at the Social High School, centre number 7851 in Morba village.

“I am yet to see the complaint letter. It will, however, be unfair on our part to comment on the issue or come to any conclusion until we verify the case ourselves. Once I see the complaint, I will depute our officials to inquire into the matter,” Pande said.