In a major step to tighten examination security, the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) has selected nine districts for its first-ever CCTV surveillance pilot project during the Class 10 and 12 board examinations. Under this initiative, 226 examination centres, all of them private schools, have been identified, where CCTV camera installation is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month. The nine districts selected for the pilot project include two metro cities of the State, Bhopal and Indore along with Gwalior, Bhind, Morena, Sagar, Damoh, Dewas and Rewa. These districts were identified based on sensitivity and past inputs related to examination irregularities.

 

The board examinations will begin from February 13, with nearly 16.6 lakh students appearing across the state. According to board officials, the CCTV coverage will allow real-time monitoring by District Collectors and District Education Officers (DEOs), in addition to centralised monitoring from the MPBSE headquarters in Bhopal. Any candidate found involved in cheating or unfair practices will face strict punishment as per established examination norms. Commenting on the pilot project, Bhupesh Gupta, Chief Systems Officer of MPBSE, said,

 

“This is a historic step to ensure the sanctity of board examinations in Madhya Pradesh. With CCTV monitoring in place, exam centres will be under continuous observation, which will help prevent cheating, paper leaks, and other irregularities. The live feeds will be accessible not only to the Board headquarters in Bhopal but also to District Collectors and District Education Officers.” This year, a total of approximately 16.6 lakh students are expected to appear for the Madhya Pradesh board examinations.

 

Of these, around 9.53 lakh students will take the Class 10 exams, while 7.06 lakh students are enrolled for the Class 12 examinations. The exams will be conducted across 3,856 centres state-wide, with the Class 12 exams concluding on March 5 and Class 10 exams ending on March 2. Given the massive scale, the Board has introduced several measures to ensure the smooth and fair conduct of examinations.

 

Among these, the pilot CCTV surveillance project is a significant step toward preventing cheating, paper leaks, and other malpractices. Board officials believe that continuous electronic surveillance will significantly strengthen existing enforcement mechanisms such as flying squads, which can only conduct inspections for limited periods. CCTV monitoring, they said, will provide uninterrupted oversight throughout the examination hours. The MP Board has clarified that this is a pilot project, and based on its effectiveness, CCTV surveillance may be expanded to more districts and centres in the coming years. The move places Madhya Pradesh alongside states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which have already adopted CCTV monitoring to safeguard board examinations.