Flouting norms: HS Edu Council warns of exam cancellation

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has issued a stern warning to students ahead of the Higher Secondary (HS) examinations, scheduled to take place from March 3 to 18, stating that any examinee found in possession of mobile phones, smartwatches or other communication devices will face severe penalties, including the cancellation of their entire examination.

In a recent notification, the WBCHSE has prohibited the carrying of electronic gadgets within the examination venues. This prohibition extends to all examinee and teachers and non-teaching staff, with the exception of the centre-in-charge, centre secretary, venue supervisor and the council nominee. Any examinee found in possession of such devices, with the exception of calculators permitted by the council, will face the immediate confiscation of the device and the cancellation of all their examinations. Furthermore, the student will be barred from appearing in any subsequent papers. In addition, the Council has introduced significant changes in the handling of question papers for this year. The papers will be sent to custodians by February 26 and no sorting will be required, as the question papers will be distributed in poly pouches containing 5, 10, 20 or 30 papers.

On the day of the examination, sealed cloth bags containing the question papers will be delivered to the respective venue supervisors by 9 am. At or just after 9:40 am, the venue supervisor will hand over the sealed pouches to the invigilators. The Council has emphasised that these pouches must not be opened outside the examination hall, and must only be opened in the presence of the examinees.

The pouches will be opened at 9:55 am and the distribution of question papers and answer scripts will take place at 10 am. Examinees will be allowed entry to the examination venue after 9 am and they may leave with their question papers a maximum of 30 minutes before the examination ends.

Strict security measures will be enforced to prevent unauthorised entry within 100 metres of the venue premises. The administration will invoke Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to ensure compliance.

No photocopy shops will be allowed to operate and the use of loudspeakers will be prohibited near the examination venues.