Bihar has set up a five-member expert committee to review and reform its examination system. The panel will study security, technology use, timelines and safeguards against malpractice before submitting recommendations in three months.
The Bihar government has constituted a five-member expert committee to recommend sweeping reforms in examinations conducted by state boards, commissions, universities and recruitment agencies, with a focus on making the system more secure, transparent, fair, technology-driven and time-bound.
The General Administration Department on Sunday issued a notification for the formation of the committee. It will examine the entire examination process – from registration and question paper preparation to the conduct of exams, evaluation, declaration of results, grievance redressal and record keeping – and suggest measures to plug loopholes and prevent malpractices.
The five-member panel will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, a serving High Court judge or a retired High Court judge. The state government will approach the Supreme Court or the concerned High Court for nomination of the chairperson, if required. The names of the other members have not been specified in the notification.
PANEL TO REVIEW ENTIRE EXAMINATION PROCESS
The committee will examine measures to prevent:
- Question paper leaks and unauthorised access to exam material
- Impersonation, cheating and malpractice at examination centres
- Tampering with answer sheets
- Manipulation of examination results
- Security breaches involving examination data
It will also review question paper-setting procedures, including multi-level setting, moderation, appointment of trained and empanelled paper setters and standardisation of difficulty levels.
Another key area will be the security of question papers and other examination material. The panel will examine their preparation, storage, transportation, distribution, digital transmission and access control, along with the collection, transportation, secure storage, scanning and evaluation of answer sheets.
The committee will also recommend a clear chain-of-custody mechanism to track question papers and answer sheets at every stage of the examination process.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, AI AND CYBERSECURITY IN FOCUS
The government has asked the committee to examine the use of digital technology, data analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity tools to strengthen the examination system.
The panel will consider measures such as:
- End-to-end digital tracking of examination material
- Tamper-proof packaging and encrypted transmission
- Multi-factor authentication and biometric verification
- Geo-tagging and geo-fencing
- CCTV surveillance and stronger candidate identification systems
- Cybersecurity audits and secure command centres
The committee will review existing laws, rules, regulations and examination guidelines concerning confidentiality, malpractice, data protection and cybersecurity and suggest amendments wherever necessary.
STATE-LEVEL EXAM CALENDAR TO CHECK DELAYS
The panel will examine delays in conducting examinations and declaring results and may recommend a state-level examination calendar with fixed timelines.
The proposed calendar could set deadlines for advertisements, applications, admit cards, examinations, provisional answer keys, objections, final answer keys, evaluation and declaration of results.
The reforms will cover:
- Secondary and higher secondary examinations
- University examinations
- Professional and technical examinations
- Entrance and eligibility tests
- Recruitment and competitive examinations
The government has stressed that reforms should not create difficulties for students from rural areas, economically weaker sections, socially disadvantaged groups or those with limited access to digital technology.