Despite bad start, HSEB claims exams this year ‘most clean’ in recent years

Haryana State Education Board exams plagued by leaks and cheating, but officials claim significant improvement in exam integrity.

The Haryana State Education Board (HSEB) exams for Classes X and XII, both for regular students and the Haryana Open School, had started on a rather bad note a month ago with question papers getting leaked on the very first day, outsiders thronging centres to facilitate mass cheating and impostors appearing for the candidates.

At the culmination of the exams a week ago, the board officials, however, have released statistics to claim that the exams this year were the “most clean” in the recent years with the lowest number of Unfair Means Cases (UMC) registered since 2022.

As per the statistics, only 599 UMCs were registered this year compared to 918 in 2024; 1,813 in 2,023 and 3,570 in 2022. Besides, the exams were cancelled at only 10 centres this time compared to 29 centres in the previous year. In 2023, the exams were cancelled at 40 centres and a year earlier at 64 centres.

Munish Nagpal, who was appointed the HSEB secretary on March 3 amid reports of rampant cheating replacing Ajay Chopra, said that the government took several immediate steps such as suspension of police personnel and deployment of 226 flying squads along fixed routes to curb cheating and the efforts paid off.

“The board displayed unprecedented strictness to curb the menace of cheating during the exams. Disciplinary action was initiated against 135 persons, including 109 invigilators and 20 centre superintendents, for dereliction of duty. As many as 16 First Information Reports were lodged against 74 people across the State,” said Mr. Nagpal.

Also, 588 observers were appointed at sensitive examination centres and a nodal officer was deployed in each district for coordination with the board officials.

Nuh, the most backward district of Haryana, fared the worst with the maximum 249 UMCs, almost half of the total 599 cases, registered in the district. The neighbouring Palwal recorded 62 UMCs, the second highest in the State, followed by Charkhi Dadri (39) and Bhiwani (38).