Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has for the first time issued a list of prescribed punishments and actions to be taken for various exam-related malpractices and offenses during upcoming Class 10 and 12 board tests.
Submitting forged documents, having someone other than the candidate appear for the test, stealing and circulating question papers, carrying cheating material in the exam hall, writing unrelated content on answer sheets, and threatening or bribing examination staff are among the 32 offenses enlisted by the board. The punishments for these malpractices range from registering police complaint to canceling the candidates' submitted answers and barring them from taking tests for subsequent years.
The board has asked schools and junior colleges to read these punishments, along with other guidelines for exams, in front of students and share copies of these instructions with them. The complete list of offenses and guidlines can be found here.
The board, in a letter to schools and junior colleges, has also announced that the students won't be allowed to enter exam halls half an hour before the test - 10:30 am for the morning session and 2:30 pm for the afternoon session.
The class 12 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams will be conducted from March 2 to 25, while Higher Secondary School Certificate exams for class 12 students will be conducted between February 20 to March 20.
