February ideal for Matric exams in poll-bound State: SEBA

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: The Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) is going to hold the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Assam High Madrassa (AHM) examitions, 2016 in the third week of February as was the case last year. This schedule, as SEBA feels, is quite hassle-free in the State bound for the Assembly elections in 2016.

Talking to this reporter, SEBA controller of examitions yanjyoti Sarma said that the number of examition centres year would be 845 against 940 last year. The 940 examition centres last year included 101 temporary centres also. This year, according to Sarma, the SEBA has done away with the system of temporary examition centres that will be compensated with ‘venue system’. Venue system, according to Sarma, is a sitting arrangement of examition candidates in schools that are located within 1.5 km of the main examition centre. This system can be used when and where needed, Sarma said. For each such venue a supervising officer will be deployed.

When asked on the number of candidates, Sarma said, the number this year could be around 4.20 lakh. “The screening of draft admit cards is underway. After screening, such draft admit cards will be sent to their respective schools for correction, if any, and candidates’ details. The main admit cards will be made available to the candidates by December,” Sarma said, and added: “From this year, we have stopped the system of provisiol admit cards for underage candidates. Each and every candidate has to attain the age of 15 years in March of the year when he/she sits for the HSLC/AHM examition. Things seem to be hassle-free this year as there is only one course. The old course was over last year.”

Sarma said: “From December 3 this year, we are going to hold a master training pragamme in Guwahati on conducting examitions. Such programmes will be held in the districts later.”

When asked if CCTV cameras will be installed in any examition centres this year, Sarma said: “We haven’t taken any such decision. However, tough steps will certainly be taken in all sensitive and hypersensitive examition centres to ensure free-and-fair  examitions. Like every other year, flying squads and static squads will be there to monitor the conduct of examitions. If needed, inclusion of new squads will be decided.”

What is significant this year, according to Sarma, is the setting up of a regiol SEBA centre at Jorhat to cater to the needs of students and their guardians in as many as five upper Assam districts – Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Golaghat. Such a regiol centre, Sarma, said, will also be set up soon at Silchar to cater to the needs of the three Barak Valley districts – Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi.

When asked if SEBA faces any difficulties as a section of its staff has been engaged in the ongoing NRC update work, Sarma replied in the negative. “NRC update work is going on smoothly, and we don’t have any problem in making the HSLC/SHM examitions possible in time.”