NEW DELHI, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Up to 1 million students in India's largest state of Uttar Pradesh have skipped this year's 10th and 12th standard board exams, as the state government imposed tough measures against mass cheating.
Education officials said that in the last four to five days, some 1 million of a total of over 6 million registered students failed to appear for this year's Uttar Pradesh State Board exams for Class X and Class XII.
"We have this year taken strict measures to prevent any corrupt practices at examination centers. Closed-circuit TV cameras have been installed at all exam centers and a special task force deployed," Uttar Pradesh Board secretary Neena Srivastava told the media Friday.
Another senior education official said Saturday that the state Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has made a personal surprise checks at exam centers. "This is what has instilled a fear against mass copying," he added.
The deputy chief minister said earlier that the government was committed to ensuring merit in education system and at no cost copying will be allowed.
The Uttar Pradesh Board exams began on Feb. 6 and will continue till March 12.
Uttar Pradesh's neighboring state of Bihar hogged limelight for mass cheating in 2015 when photos of parents and friends of students climbing school building walls to pass on answers were published in local media.
Some photos even showed policemen posted outside the exam centers accepting bribes to look the other way. Some 750 students were expelled and 300 arrested by Bihar government after the incident prompted ridicule on social media.
Cheating in school exams has been going on in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for a long time. A mafia, comprising teachers and school authorities, connives with parents who bribe them to rig entire answer sheets. Sometimes teachers even appear at exams on behalf of students.
"This has to stop. Bihar has acted on dishonest students. Now we will not allow any kind of dishonesty in exams in Uttar Pradesh," the education official said.
