Exams to have photo finish

Updated on: Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Mark sheets of class XII Higher Secondary and class X State Board examinations will now have photographs of students along with their scores.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at checking the malpractice of submission of fake mark sheets at the stage of admission to institutions of higher learning, the Directorate of Government Examinations has asked schools to provide photographs of their students. D. Vasundara Devi, Director of Government Examinations, said over 20 lakh students are expected to enrol for the class X and class XII examinations to be held next year.

While the process has begun in some schools, many institutions are reportedly seeking clarity on the photo specifications stipulated by the Directorate. The circulars sent to schools have a detailed set of instructions that range from the stipulated size of the photograph to photo file names with a unique four-digit number for each student.

“As there are many specifications to be followed it could take a few days to complete the process,” said B. Purushothaman, Principal, Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School that began photographing students on Monday.

Higher education colleges and universities have welcomed the move as it would prevent students from submitting fake certificates during the admission process.

“Many universities have photo degree certificates, where chances of duplication of mark sheets are reduced. While screening candidates for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission, we verify documents against the database of all class XII students from the School Education Department as 95 per cent of students belong to the State,” said V. Rhymend Uthariaraj, secretary of TNEA, Anna University.

The photo mark sheet would make the admission process foolproof as it is difficult to forge.

Exams to have photo finish

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