The Uttar Pradesh Board is in the news again, but for all the wrong reasons. It has received several complaints regarding the allotment of examination centres, especially for girls, for the upcoming Board examinations in March. This has reportedly forced the Board to reconsider its procedure of allotment.For the first time this year, the Board has used a software to randomly allot centres to avoid irregularities. As a result, nearly 1,500 centres for girls have been allotted in remote areas, affecting nearly 2.5 lakh students. According to a state government policy, examination centres for girls should be allotted within a radius of four to five km from their parent school. So far, the Board has sent the list of examination centres only to the schools of the Meerut and Bareilly regions. The list containing the names of the centres selected in the Allahabad region and Varanasi will be released by November 28.“The Board has received several objections from parents and schools. It has now decided to reconsider the published list of examination centres,” said a source. In the wake of allotting centres in a haphazard manner, Education Minister Rangnath Mishra has instructed the chairman of the Board to look into the matter, he added.The district inspectors of school have reportedly been asked to hold district-level committee meetings, which will invite objections from schools and parents regarding allotment of centres. This way, the problem will be solved by January end, a source said. This year, 55 lakh students will appear for Boards from 15,000 schools across the state. Last year, 45 lakh students took the examination.Board Secretary Prabha Tripathi said: “I have received a few complaints, but will be able to tell the exact figure only after all lists are released. The district inspectors have been asked to send a report particularly on the centres allotted to girls.”
