KOLKATA: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) will introduce ultraviolet (UV) security threads in Higher Secondary (HS) marksheets and pass certificates to prevent forgery, officials said. The embedded UV threads, invisible to the naked eye, can be detected only under UV light. WBCHSE president Chiranjib Bhattacharya said multiple micro-threads will be used instead of a single strip, making duplication and tampering difficult. “These can be seen only under a UV lamp or torch. The purpose is to prevent forgery, similar to the security features used in currency notes,” he said.
The new feature will be incorporated in the final consolidated marksheets and pass certificates issued after Semester IV examinations. The existing QR code-based verification system will continue alongside the UV threads. The decision comes after instances of forged HS marksheets were detected, prompting the Council to strengthen document security. Under the semester system, Semester III marks were issued online and printed copies provided by schools, while the final consolidated HS marksheet will reflect marks from Semesters III and IV, including supplementary, practical, and project marks, along with percentile scores and grades. The Council had earlier introduced measures such as unique serial numbers on question papers embedded in QR codes and barcodes, which candidates were required to write on their answer sheets.