In a groundbreaking initiative, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is gearing up to implement biometric authentication in exams, aiming to curb cheating, fraud, and impersonation. This strategic move is set to be rolled out in approximately 1,500 examination centers nationwide, impacting nearly 17 lakh students and revolutionizing the examination process.
The CBSE administers a diverse range of examinations nationwide, employing both offline and online modes. The proposed biometric authentication services include digital fingerprint capturing, photo capturing, and face matching with scanned photos of candidates. These measures are designed to ensure a secure examination process, both during and after the exams, and will be deployed in approximately 1,200 to 1,500 examination centers per exam across the country.
To maintain the integrity of examinations and prevent fraudulent activities or impersonation, the CBSE is eager to introduce a biometric authentication and attendance marking system. This system, incorporating digital fingerprint capturing and face matching with photo capturing, aims to verify the identity of candidates in real-time, facilitating vigilant monitoring of activities at examination centers nationwide and making the examination process more robust.
The CBSE has outlined its commitment to cover approximately 1,200 to 1,500 centers, accommodate 17 lakh candidates across four exam dates, with an estimated project cost of around Rs 5 crore.
The Process:
According to the document released by CBSE, the board will share center-wise data of all registered candidates with the chosen agency, including roll numbers, photos, names, exam dates/shifts, etc. The agency will utilize this data for fingerprint/photo capturing and face matching, establishing a robust mechanism for verifying candidates during and after various stages of the examination process.
Cutting-edge digital fingerprint and photo-capturing devices, along with skilled technical personnel, will be deployed at every examination center to facilitate the examination process.
Live attendance tracking will be implemented using QR codes or barcodes on admit cards, ensuring automatic retrieval of candidate details from the CBSE’s application database. In case of absence or inability to scan QR codes or barcodes, the roll number along with the candidate’s information must be manually entered.
The process of capturing a candidate’s fingerprint/photo and conducting face matching will occur at the security gate before the commencement of the examination, with an emphasis on completion before the conclusion of the exam. The entire database and application server will be located in two different seismic zones within India, serving as the data center (DC) and disaster recovery (DR) center.
The agency will conduct physical verification of the candidate’s photo, comparing it with the application database during security gate entry. Once the verification process is completed, the agency will submit all collected data to CBSE on the day of the examination. For every 60 candidates, the agency will assign at least one fingerprint/photo capturing device and face-matching device during both examination and post-examination stages.
The agency’s responsibility includes ensuring the functionality of all devices and collecting fingerprints and photographs of every candidate at each center. Strict secrecy and confidentiality are emphasized, and the chosen agency is advised to conduct prior visits to all centers to familiarize themselves with available facilities.
As CBSE pioneers this transformative approach, it heralds a new era of secure and transparent examination processes in India.
