Even with extensive anti-cheating measures in place, including live CCTV surveillance, frisking at entry points, and two invigilators per room, instances of cheating were reported during the Class 12 English paper conducted across the State on Tuesday. Officials confirmed that seven students from Bhopal alone were caught attempting to cheat, with six of these cases detected directly through CCTV monitoring. Meanwhile, six cases were reported from Morena district in the Gwalior division, underscoring the persistent challenge of curbing exam malpractice despite stringent preventive measures. The Higher Secondary English paper was conducted across 3,604 examination centres from 9 am to 12 noon, with approximately 6.12 lakh students appearing for the test. This marked the commencement of the Madhya Pradesh Board 2026 examinations.

 

This year, to enhance examination integrity, as a key anti-cheating measure, the Board implemented a pilot CCTV surveillance project at 226 centres across nine districts. The centres under surveillance have each exam room equipped with one CCTV camera for live monitoring, while every room also had two invigilators present to supervise students. Live feeds from these cameras were continuously monitored from control rooms at the Board headquarters, as well as at the offices of district collectors and education officers, ensuring real-time observation of examination activities. Despite these measures, some students attempted to bypass security. During monitoring, officials observed that a few students had managed to evade frisking, only to be caught later inside the exam hall attempting to use tiny paper notes cum chits for answers.

 

The Board clarified that most of the Bhopal cases, six out of seven, were detected directly through CCTV monitoring, highlighting the effectiveness of live surveillance in catching irregularities. At Bhopal exam centre 632711, a total of six cheating cases were recorded during the Class 12 English exam. These students were caught attempting to use chits despite frisking measures. Officials noted that in some instances, invigilators were negligent in their duties, failing to prevent the malpractice. Consequently, authorities have issued strict instructions for disciplinary action against the responsible invigilators, ensuring accountability and sending a clear warning to staff across other centres. The students caught attempting to cheat in Bhopal and Morena will now have to appear for the supplementary examination, as per Board rules.

 

The Board has reiterated that strict action will continue against any student or staff member violating examination norms, emphasising that transparency and fairness remain the top priority. The next set of Higher Secondary examinations is scheduled for Friday. Students will appear for multiple subjects, including Physics, Economics, Animal Husbandry, Milk Trade, Poultry Farming & Fisheries, Elements of Science, and History of Indian & World Art. Similarly, February 13 onwards, the MP Board 10th standard examinations will also commence. On the first day, students will appear for the Urdu subject (code 508).