Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (IANS) Ahead of the annual Matriculation (High School Certificate) and +2 (Higher Secondary) examinations, Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond on Tuesday said that all preparations have been completed, with comprehensive arrangements in place to ensure smooth, fair, and malpractice-free conduct of the exams.

The minister informed that question papers have been secured with advanced safety features, including watermarking and special printing patterns, to prevent leakage and duplication.

Strict monitoring mechanisms have also been put in place, similar to previous years when examinations were conducted successfully without major irregularities.

Highlighting surveillance measures, Gond said CCTV monitoring will continue at examination centres to maintain transparency and discipline. He expressed confidence that students will appear for the examinations in a positive and stress-free environment and conveyed his best wishes, hoping they perform well and achieve academic success.

Sources reported that over 4 lakh students in Odisha are set to appear for this year’s annual Plus Two examinations on Wednesday (February 18), including 3.76 lakh regular candidates.

The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), an autonomous body under the School and Mass Education Department, conducts the +2 examinations in the state. Meanwhile, the annual Matriculation examinations will begin from February 19, with 5,61,979 students scheduled to appear across the state.

These exams are conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha (BOSE), which manages the High School Certificate examination process every year.

This year, elaborate arrangements, including security deployments and centre-level monitoring, have been put in place to ensure the fair conduct of examinations across more than 3,000 centres statewide.

The government has emphasized that all measures aim to provide a safe and conducive environment for students while maintaining the integrity of the examination process.

–IANS

gyan/dan