Education Department Goes Aggressive to Ensure Copy-Free SSC and HSC Examinations

Pune |
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has intensified its efforts to conduct copy-free SSC (Class 10) and HSC (Class 12) examinations across the state. With over 31.5 lakh students appearing for the exams this year, the Education Department has rolled out a multi-layered monitoring and enforcement strategy to curb unfair practices.

For the HSC examination, a total of 15,32,862 students have registered, while 16,14,987 students will appear for the SSC examination. The exams will be conducted across 3,387 centres for HSC and 5,111 centres for SSC statewide.

CCTV Coverage at Over 80% Examination Centres

To enhance transparency, more than 80% of examination centres across Maharashtra have been equipped with CCTV cameras inside classrooms. Special attention will be given to sensitive and previously reported centres, and any suspicious activity detected during the examination will invite immediate action.

State Board Chairman Trigun Kulkarni, addressing a press conference in the presence of Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh, said that flying squads will conduct surprise inspections. If malpractice is detected, the recognition of the concerned examination centre will be cancelled immediately.

Strict Action Based on Past Experience

Kulkarni revealed that during last year’s examinations, 31 SSC centres and 76 HSC centres were derecognised due to malpractice.
“Similar strict action will be taken this year as well if any irregularities are found,” he warned.

Flying Squads, Vigilance Committees & Police Coordination

To strengthen supervision:

• State-level vigilance committees, district-level committees, and flying squads will remain active throughout the examination period

• Surprise inspections will be conducted at examination centres

• Continuous coordination will be maintained between the Education Department, Police Administration, and District Authorities

Awareness Campaign for Students and Parents

As part of the Copy-Free Examination Campaign, the Board has launched extensive awareness initiatives:

• Integrity and ethics oath programmes

• Guidance sessions for students

• Parent–student interaction programmes

• Social media awareness campaigns

• Public awareness weeks highlighting exam discipline

These initiatives aim to instill honesty, moral responsibility, and seriousness toward examinations.

Focus on Stress-Free and Fair Examination Environment

Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh stated that a state-level vigilance committee meeting has already been held, where strict measures were instructed for sensitive centres.

“Students should appear for examinations without stress. A fair and supportive environment will be ensured. Copy-free examinations are our goal, and achieving it requires collective efforts,” Singh said.