The state higher secondary council will use hand-held RFID (radio frequency identification device) to detect the use of mobile phones or any other electronic gadgets in 206 highly sensitive examination “venues” out of 2,349 venues during the HS examination, said the council president.
Over 8,00,000 students will write the exam at 835 centres from March 14.
Since a centre consists of several venues, the number of venues is always more than the number of centres.
A council official said the device is equipped with a network-tracking technology that can pick radio frequency waves. It will be able to detect the use of mobile networks or any other radio frequency waves in and around the examination centre.
“The device can pick up any radio frequency and guide the person holding it towards the spot where the network is strongest. We will be using these devices in the highly sensitive centres as a pilot project,” Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya, the council president, said on Friday.
“The JEE board has been using these devices over the past few years. We want to try their model.”
A council official said a section of examinees sneak mobile phones or other electronic devices for cheating.
Frisking may not prove to be a foolproof method because candidates invent newer ways to dodge the checkpoints and enter the exam centers,a teacher said. “In this situation, the use of such device can come in handy.”
The Telegraph reported on Thursday that the council has “appealed” to venue supervisors to take all possible measures to complete the HS examination “maintaining its security, sanctity and confidentiality” because the exam will not be held at home centres this year.
Last year, students wrote the school-leaving exams under the surveillance of teachers of their own schools(home centres) and it was held on a truncated syllabus because on-campus classes could not be held following the pandemic-induced shutdown of the campuses.
“This year, the exam will be held on the full syllabus at the away centres. The advantage of teachers being lenient towards the students they have known for years, will not be available. A section of students might get desperate,” said a council official.
Students who will write the Class XII board exams this year did not write Madhyamik in 2021 owing to the start of the pandemic.
Council president Bhattacharya said they have asked the schools that are armed with CCTV cameras to record footage on the days of the examination and share those with the council as and when required.
