Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 17 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (UPBSE) 2026 High School and Intermediate Board examinations are set to commence from February 18 and continue till March 12, 2026.

This year, a total of 53,37,778 candidates are registered, including 27,61,696 high school students and 25,76,082 intermediate students, according to an official release.

To ensure a fair, transparent, and systematic conduct of the exams, the state has set up 8,033 examination centres, comprising 596 government schools, 3,453 aided-government schools, and 3,984 self-financed schools. Of these, 18 districts have been declared sensitive, 222 centres highly sensitive, and 683 sensitive, the release added.

Minister of State for Secondary Education (Independent Charge) Gulab Devi inaugurated the state-level control room set up at the Director of Education (Secondary), Lucknow camp office on Tuesday, ahead of the examinations. She stated that, in accordance with the Chief Minister's wishes, this year's examination system has been fully technology-based and transparent.

The Special Task Force (STF) and local intelligence units will be active at these centres throughout the examination period, and highly sensitive centres will be inspected twice daily.

To monitor examinations, two CCTV cameras with voice recorders have been installed in each examination room, along with a router, a DVR, and high-speed internet access. Live monitoring of the entire examination period will be done through webcasting. Strong rooms at examination centres will be under 24x7 CCTV surveillance. Additionally, online monitoring of the strong rooms, question paper distribution rooms, and answer sheet sealing and packing rooms at each examination centre in all 75 districts will also be conducted.

To strengthen the system, 8,033 centre administrators, 8,033 external centre administrators, 8,033 static magistrates, 1,210 sector magistrates, and 427 zonal magistrates have been appointed. Additionally, 69 divisional and 440 district-level mobile squads have been formed. State-level supervisors have also been appointed at the government level for all 75 districts and 18 divisions to ensure there is no slackness in the conduct of the examination.

According to the release, to assist candidates and parents, the state-level control room in Lucknow has issued toll-free helpline numbers 18001806607 and 18001806608. Additionally, the toll-free numbers 18001805310 and 18001805312 of the Board of Secondary Education, Prayagraj, will also be active.

It further added that complaints and suggestions can also be lodged through email, Facebook, X handle, and WhatsApp. Control centres have been established at the Prayagraj headquarters as well as regional offices in Varanasi, Meerut, Bareilly, and Gorakhpur.

Special security arrangements have been made to prevent cheating. Additional reserve question paper sets for all subjects are stored in double-locked cupboards for emergencies. Special security features have been added to answer sheets, including four-colour serial numbers, the Council's logo, and a microscopic 'UPMSP' marking, to eliminate the possibility of tampering. This year, for the first time, the UP Sanskrit Education Council examination will also be monitored online.

The Uttar Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, applicable in the state, provides for strict action against any irregularities found in the preparation, printing, distribution, and evaluation of question papers. The Minister stated that malpractice in public examinations is an injustice to the future of youth, and that the government is committed to taking strict action against such practices. While wishing all the candidates the best of luck, he appealed to them to appear for the examination with confidence, without any tension or fear and take it as a positive opportunity.

On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary (Basic and Secondary Education) Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma, Secretary, Secondary Education, Chandra Bhushan Singh, Director General of School Education, Monika Rani, Special Secretary, Secondary Education, Umesh Chandra, and Director of Education (Secondary), Dr Mahendra Dev, were present. (ANI)