Nagpur: Taking serious cognisance of the rising number of malpractice cases during the recently concluded SSC and HSSC examinations conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, the State Government is now considering a major shift to a fully digital examination system.
A senior official from the Education Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal to move examinations to a digital platform has been under discussion for some time. “We have asked the State Board to begin preparations. Though the plan is yet to be finalised, the idea is being actively explored, especially in view of the massive paper consumption in the current system,” the official said.
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The department is also concerned about the large-scale wastage of paper. Transitioning to digital exams is expected to significantly reduce paper usage, ensure better record preservation, and improve accuracy in evaluation. Officials highlighted that for the HSSC 2026 examinations alone, more than 10 crore pages were used, consuming around 223 metric tonnes of paper. Additionally, nearly 1 crore answer sheets required about 1,700 metric tonnes of paper.
“The long-term vision is to have students write exams online, with evaluation also conducted digitally. This will enhance accuracy and speed up the declaration of results,” the official added.
Alongside this shift, the department is planning administrative reforms. Mark sheets and certificates may soon be issued as a single consolidated document. The format for student names has also been revised to ‘first name-father’s name-surname’, replacing the earlier surname-first format.
In a parallel move to strengthen exam security, the Board has already tested a GPS-enabled digital lock system for transporting question papers in Baramati taluka during the February–March 2026 exams. The system ensured secure transit from custody centres to examination halls, and a statewide rollout is now under consideration.
Further tightening norms, authorities are also looking to make CCTV surveillance mandatory at all examination centres from next year. Currently, compliance remains inconsistent. Sources indicated that strict action may be taken against centres failing to implement surveillance measures.
The urgency for reforms is underscored by statistics from the HSSC 2026 exams, where a total of 1,983 unfair means cases were reported, with the highest number recorded in the Amravati division. Authorities also registered 15 FIRs related to exam irregularities and suspended around 100 staff members for misconduct.
