West Bengal JEE goes tech way to curb cheating

KOLKATA: Students appearing for West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations on Sunday will have to report to the test centres 30 minutes before the exam begins. The board will also provide radio frequency identification (RFID) devices to those in charge of exam centres to keep a watch on cellphone networks on campus.
This is one of the first times that RFID technology will be used to check unfair practices during a major national entrance examination.“The device will be able to pick up any radio frequency and direct the person holding it towards the spot where the network is strongest,” a source said.

According to sources, frisking of students, besides being intrusive, is not a foolproof method. “Transmitters can be hidden inside frames of spectacles, in hair buns or even in undergarments. In several examination centres, there is a scarcity of women police personnel and many students can simply walk through the metal detectors. There are many other ways in which candidates can dodge check points,” the source said, adding that these loopholes had left no option for the JEE board but to introduce RFID devices on a massive scale this year.
The board has ordered 400 RFID devices — for Rs 2,500 each — for its 320 examination centres and 80 roving invigilators. “Large centres that have more than 400 candidates will have more than one centre in-charge, but only one of them will carry the device,” said a board official.
Besides the RFID devices, other measures to check cheating include frisking of students, not allowing them to wear watches and providing them with pens. Candidates will have to carry their original admit cards, along with a photo identification card and a colour photograph.
This year, the number of candidates has dipped to 1,13,912 from 2018’s 1,25,075. Of them, 41% are from outside the state. Of the 302 centres set up by the WBJEE Board, one is in Assam and two are in Tripura.