Haryana to put phone jammers in universities

The menace of copying during exams is as old as exams themselves. But, with the advancement in technology, ways of cheating have changed, which is a worrying trend. In the recent years, many such cases have occurred in which students tried copying in exams in Munna Bhai MBBS style, seeking answers on mobile phones or through microphones.

To end the menace, all the universities and colleges in Haryana have started the process of installing mobile jammers on their campuses. The move came after the University Grants Commission (UGC) directed all institutions to put up jammers to prevent the use of mobile phones and other gadgets for cheating.

The universities in Haryana have written to the colleges, affiliated to them, to complete the task before the next academic session.

Amongst all the universities taking the lead is Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, which has already started the process. All 44 colleges affiliated to it are asked to do the same.

“This is a good initiative to check copying. We have started the process and I hope we will complete the work by the yearend,” said CDLU registrar Aseem Miglani.

The UGC has asked all institutions to procure jammers only from authorised manufacturers like Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The UGC issued guidelines after the Supreme Court asked the Central government to curb the copying menace in exams. Many incidents of mass cheating were reported. The biggest of them all was mass cheating during the All India Pre-Medical Test last year. A mass cheating racket was busted, and the Haryana Police, in its investigation, found that 358 calls were made from 72 mobile phones to exam centres across the country. Students wore sophisticated hearing devices in specially-made hidden vests to the exam halls.

The report also revealed the extent of the high-tech operations in which over 700 candidates would have illegally benefited.

The probe showed that mobile connections on the 72 phones were procured using fake identities. The Haryana Police claimed it caught 26 people wearing special vests for cheating. It was found out that the answers of 102 questions of the total 123 questions were sent to candidates.