CBSE to use encrypted test papers to prevent leaks

To check the possibility of paper leaks in board examinations, the central board of secondary education (CBSE) plans to send encrypted question papers via mail directly to heads of the examination centres across the country from next year.

The soft copies of the board examination papers would be mailed to the official e-mail account of the principals of the schools (examination centres).

Few hours before the examinations, the question papers will be downloaded and printed using printing machines at the designated examination centres in presence of observers to be deployed by the CBSE.

The board has “successful” tested the option of sending encrypted examination papers in 32 examination centres during the compartmental board examinations held recently.

“We are going to further test the feasibility of this way of sending question papers to ensure that there are no last minute glitches. We will come to a conclusion by the end of this year,” a CBSE official said.

The board will bear all the cost to be incurred on the printing of the test papers and also provide training to the school principals and teachers in advance to ensure that examinations are held timely without any problem.

It will also hire “agencies” for temporary installation of internet connection, printing machines, photocopy machines and generators for power supply at such examination centres which are not equipped with these facilities to receive the question papers.

“There will be no increase in the cost of conducting the examinations. It will remain almost same,” the official said.

The board, which faced much criticism for paper leaks in the board examinations held this year, is also re-looking at its decision to have just one set of question papers, instead of three, for each subject from next year.

The CBSE discontinued the system of having three sets of board examination question papers from this year.

However, the board's decision turned out to be counter productive.

As there was just one set of papers this year, the CBSE had to get a new paper set by the experts in a jiffy to re-conduct the examinations for Class XII Economics paper after claims of the paper leak. The idea behind having three different sets of question papers for each subject was to replace one with the other to hold re-examination in case of paper leaks.