Prayagraj: Govt secondary schools with adequate teaching and non-teaching staff will only be allowed to function as forwarding centres for private candidates appearing in the 2027 High School and Intermediate examinations conducted by UP Board, under a new policy issued by the state govt to streamline registrations and eliminate irregularities.The policy, issued by the Secondary Education Department and circulated by UP Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh, provides a detailed framework for online registration, verification and forwarding of applications of private candidates. As per the new norms, the registration process for Class 10 and 12 private candidates will continue to be conducted online. Application forms will be available on the UP Board website and through district inspectors of schools (DIOS) at district, tehsil and block levels. The forms will also be displayed on notice boards of district magistrate, DIOS, tehsil and block offices and may be published in newspapers to ensure easy access. Photocopies or downloaded copies of the application form will also be accepted.The policy bars govt schools with a history of mass copying, violence, repeated irregularities, unauthorised forwarding of applications or those debarred by the Board or the state govt from being designated as forwarding centres.To prevent overcrowding, each forwarding centre will be allowed to forward applications of a maximum of 500 High School and 700 Intermediate private candidates, taking the total limit to 1,200. In exceptional circumstances, the limit may be increased to 650 High School and 850 Intermediate candidates with the recommendation of the DIOS and approval of the divisional joint director of education. The maximum limit for Intermediate correspondence candidates has been fixed at 800.The policy also specifies that only designated govt schools at district headquarters will handle registrations of candidates from outside Uttar Pradesh, foreign nationals and students from other recognised education boards. Such candidates must furnish proof of at least two years’ residence in Uttar Pradesh, except failed candidates and Kashmiri migrants, for whom the condition will not apply.The state govt has also made document verification more stringent. DIOSs have been directed to ensure thorough scrutiny of every application and eligibility certificate before online submission so that no ineligible candidate is forwarded. Verification teams comprising district officials and senior principals may be constituted to examine applications, while forged or ineligible applications must be rejected immediately and deleted from the online portal if uploaded inadvertently.The order also fixes accountability at every level. Principals and forwarding officers will be personally responsible for verifying original documents before forwarding applications. They will be required to obtain an undertaking from every candidate stating that he or she has not applied through any other institution or forwarding centre. All records, including acknowledgement receipts, must be preserved for six years. Any forwarding of ineligible applications or failure to follow the prescribed norms will invite disciplinary and legal action against the officials concerned.Issuing the guidelines, UP Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh said, “The policy has been framed to ensure a transparent, technology-driven and foolproof registration process for private candidates appearing in the 2027 Board examinations while safeguarding the credibility of the examination system”.
