Prayagraj: The two-day recruitment examination for the post of assistant professor was held at 53 centres in six cities—Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, and Gorakhpur– on Saturday amid tight security.Conducted by UP Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC), the examination is being held in four shifts over two days.An incident was reported from Government Girls Inter College, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, just before the start of the first shift on Saturday morning. Officials said a fire broke out in the AC wiring in the principal’s office shortly before the examination. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the on-site nodal officer and the commission’s appointed observer, Yogendra Nath Singh.Prompt action by the administration ensured that the fire was quickly brought under control, preventing any major damage or disruption. As a precautionary measure, candidates were shifted to another wing of the school building. The examination was then conducted smoothly and concluded without any interruption.Authorities confirmed that no candidate, invigilator, or staff member was injured in the incident.Meanwhile, UPESSC has deployed an extensive multi-layered system of surveillance and administrative control for the examination process. Commission chairman, Prashant Kumar, reviewed the arrangements and reiterated that maintaining the sanctity of the examination is the top priority.As part of the security protocol, mobile numbers of principals of all centres, along with selected officials, have been placed under surveillance. Security agencies have been put on high alert to monitor any suspicious activity or attempt at malpractice. Prohibitory orders remain in force around examination centres and district magistrates along with senior police officers are conducting regular inspections.In a significant technological step, a computer-based system has been introduced to randomly decide the question paper for each shift, eliminating any human interference in paper selection. Candidate roll numbers have also been randomised to ensure that applicants from the same locality or with similar background details are not assigned to the same centres.Additionally, in Prayagraj, a pilot project is being implemented at select centres where OMR answer sheets are being scanned immediately after each shift in the presence of candidates and invigilators. The scanned data is securely stored for future verification against original sheets if required.All examination halls and key premises are under CCTV surveillance, which is being monitored from district control rooms as well as the commission’s central command centre.A total of 19,718 candidates appeared in the test, with women accounting for 41.35% of the attendance and men 58.65%.Re-examination was also conducted for 17 subjects, including Asian Culture, Music (Tabla), Physical Education, Urdu, English, Sociology, Chemistry, Education, among others.
