The fortnight-long statematriculation examinations for regular students, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, ended on Monday.A total of 887 students were booked for cheating, Examination Controller Nihar Ranjan Mohanty said, adding, a record number of 150 students were booked for malpractice on the last day of the examination.The examinations began on February 22 amid rumours that question papers were leaked.The Board authorities not only proved that the rumours were wrong but also ensured that no such things happened in the subsequent days of the examination."Due to stringent measures in place, resorting to unfair means during the examinations was tackled with strong hands," Mohanty said.The Board also came down heavily on 'impersonation', another form of cheating, during the examination, in which, imposters were caught."Due to strict vigil by the enforcement squad, some imposters were apprehended during the initial days of the examination and we were able to curb the menace," Mohanty said.Sources said the evaluation of answer sheets would begin soon in over 60 evaluation centres across the state, where over 2,000 senior teachers will be engaged.The results will be declared by the end of April.Nearly six lakh students have appeared for matriculation examinations this year.
