Bengal govt to bring exams in medical colleges under CCTV surveillance, live-streaming

Kolkata, Nov 7 (IANS) The West Bengal government has decided to bring examinations in all medical colleges and hospitals in the state under CCTV surveillance as well as arrange for the live-streaming of the entire examination session to bring an end to long-standing complaints of examination malpractices.

The state health department has decided to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for CCTV and live streaming of the examination process.

As per the SOPs, the CCTV footage of the entire duration of the examination for each day will have to be sent to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) in separate folders for each day.

"This should reach the university authority through proper channels within the days from the day the examination was over, failing which the result of the concerned college will remain withheld," reads the SOP.

The medical colleges and hospitals have also been directed to preserve CCTV footage of all University examinations for a year.

"The WBUHS is in the process of arranging centralised live streaming of university examinations from the premise of WBUHS only," the SOP read.

To recall, during the meeting last month between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the representatives of the West Bengal Junior Doctors; Front (WBJDF), the umbrella body spearheading the movement against the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata in August, a number of junior doctors highlighted this issue of examination malpractices.

Thereafter, the Chief Minister assured them that henceforth such strict vigilance will be maintained at the examination halls so that no examinee is able to turn around his or her head.

There will be surveillance at the toilets of the examination centres as well so that no one is able to take advantage of any examination malpractice there.

--IANS

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