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UP Board enlists India Post for secure transport of answer sheets in pilot project
Under the new arrangement, answer sheets from all 75 districts were initially routed to their respective collection centres
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In a pioneering move to enhance the security of examination material, the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has partnered with India Post to transport answer sheets from district collection centres to the state’s primary hub. The pilot project was launched during the High School Improvement/Compartment and Intermediate Compartment examinations on July 28.
Under the new arrangement, answer sheets from all 75 districts were initially routed to their respective collection centres. In districts with multiple examination centres, teachers and departmental staff continued to manage the transport of answer sheets to these district hubs. From there, India Post took charge of delivering the consignments to the state’s main collection centre at Government Inter College (GIC), Prayagraj, board officials stated.
At GIC Prayagraj, the answer sheets will be scanned before digital transmission to evaluation centres in Prayagraj, Meerut and Varanasi, where they will be assessed and marks uploaded electronically.
Officials expect the system to mitigate the risk of answer sheets being lost or stolen during inter-district transit. It is also expected to reduce expenditure associated with deploying teachers, departmental staff and security personnel for transportation.
The initiative addresses longstanding concerns regarding the safety of the current transport system. In March 2024, a teacher escorting UP Board answer sheets was allegedly killed by a police escort in Muzaffarnagar. Earlier this year, reports emerged of staff transporting answer sheets via e-rickshaws, motorcycles and scooters without adequate security, despite government directives mandating specific safety protocols.
A total of 42,078 candidates registered for the July 28 examinations, with 39,543 appearing and 2,535 absent. In comparison, the annual UP Board Class 10 and 12 examinations involve over five million students across approximately 8,000 centres.
Confirming the initiative, UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh noted this was the first time the postal department had handled inter-district transport of answer sheets. “A report on the pilot has been sought. If the exercise is successful, we will implement this arrangement for the annual High School and Intermediate examinations on a much larger scale starting next year,” Singh said.
