Should intermediate colleges be used as examination centres instead of madrassas? This is the thought that the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education is pondering over, as stated by the officials. This could prove to be a significant change for these religious schools. A meeting will be held in July and the final call regarding the matter will be taken by the board then, the officials informed, as stated in a report by PTI.

"Some intermediate colleges have been made examination centres on a trial basis," Qamar Ali, a member of the Madrasa Board and in-charge of the examination control room (Lucknow-based), told PTI on Monday, May 22.

To date, exams have been held in madrassas, Ali said. Currently, there are as many as 539 exam centres where madrasa board examinations are held.

"However, it was seen that there were problems with internet connectivity and other practical difficulties. Apart from this, principals and managers of the madrassas tried to shrug off responsibility citing resource shortage. The intermediate colleges cannot take the escape route of not becoming examination centres. This will also fulfil the aim of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to conduct copying-free examinations," Ali said.

What else is in store for next session?
All exam centres will be connected to a control room which will be monitored by the minority welfare department, Ali informed.

"Monitoring examinations at all the centres at the same time is not possible, and from next year, it will be held division-wise. This will help easily identify anomalies," Ali said.

Where were the defaults detected on May 22?
- Lucknow
- Kannauj
- Aligarh
- Azamgarh
- Mau
- Ambedkar Nagar

This was because there were no seating arrangements and those assigned duties were missing.

Totally, there are 16,531 madrassas registered with the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education, out of which, 558 are government-aided.