In an effort to prevent cheating and to bring transparency in examination system in the state, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has on February 20, 2018 asked its students who are appearing for the Class X board examinations not to wear shoes and socks in the exam hall.
Over 17.70 lakh students of Class X in the state are appearing their matriculation examinations from February 21, 2018 with wearing only slipper in the exam hall.
“Students appearing in matriculation examinations at 1,426 centres in the state cannot wear shoes and socks. They can wear slippers only. If they come wearing shoes and socks, they will have to take them off and keep outside the examination halls,” BSEB chairman Anand Kishore was quoted as saying by a news agency.
“Such practices are already in place at the national level in a number of competitive examinations. This will prevent examinees from using unfair means,” he said.
State education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma said that the initiative is aimed at putting an end to cheating in the examination.
“Bihar has been defamed for long for cheating in examinations. We want to put an end to it,” he said, adding, “Since more than 17 lakh students are appearing in the board examinations, it is difficult to check each one.”
The move from the BSEB came after 1,000 examinees were expelled and 25 others were arrested for using unfair means in Class XII examinations held earlier this month in the state.
According to media reports, the BSEB has taken the decision to depute one invigilator for every 25 students in the examination hall and to video-record the examination.
To prevent cheating, the Bihar government had taken may initiatives in the past. In 2016, the state government had announced fines and jail terms for students involved in cheating in school exams.