The huge dip raises the obvious question whether the termination of the self-centre scheme, which had become a boon for copycats during examination, deterred cheaters from taking up the board papers this year.

The self-centre scheme had turned out to be a method of mass cheating, as a nexus between the school authorities and unauthorised students facilitated this illegal practice to continue. The Mayawati government, however, terminated the scheme and now the candidates cannot sit for the state board examination at their own school. Instead, they will be allotted examination centres at other schools by the education department.

Joint director (Education) Amarnath Verma admitted that the main reason behind the fall in the number of candidates is due to the termination of the self-centre scheme. “The department is all set to ensure fair examinations due to which unprepared candidates, who were planning to pass the examination, would not make an attempt this time,” Verma said.

The reduction of around 18 per cent in the number of candidates taking up the board papers was expected and it might further go down by another 15 per cent in 2009 due to strict anti-copying norms, he added.

Sources informed over a quarter of a lakh of school students who had taken admissions in various schools in the tenth and the twelfth classes, were not appearing in the examinations as they have not filled their board examination forms. This time around 1.20 lakh candidates will be appearing for the board from 195 centres in Kanpur and 49,499 candidates in 98 centres of Kanpur Dehat. In 66 centres in Kannauj, a total of 44,932 candidates is expected to appear for the board papers and at Farukkhabad’s 53 such centres, the figure is 38,169. Another 41,641 candidates will appear in 88 centres of Auraiya and 44,342 candidates in 73 centers of Etawah.