Going high-tech to avoid the possibility of impersonation in annual examinations, Noida-based Mahamaya Technical University (MTU) has decided to take biometric thumb impressions of the students who will turn up at different colleges for registrations this month. There are nearly 400 engineering and management colleges affiliated to the MTU. The university has also decided to install mobile phone jammers in the examination centers to check the misuse of mobile phones as unfair means during examinations.
The MTU decided to take biometric thumb impressions of the students to ensure that the students appearing in semester examination are the same who had appeared at the time of registration. The University has issued directives to its affiliated colleges to make arrangements in this regard.
The registration of students in second, third and fourth years of the courses is beginning in the colleges on August 8, while the registration of first years students will start from August 16.
University Examination Controller J P Pandey said the exercise of taking biometric thumb impressions of the students will begin from last week of this month when most of the students would have registered. Each student would be given an unique biometric code, using which identity would be checked in future examinations.
The technology of biometric thumb impression had helped the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) recently in identifying over two dozen cases of impersonation. Using this technology, the University authorities were able to detect discrepancy in the photographs and thumb impressions of the applicants who appeared in the admission test and those who were later found seeking admission. The university has lodged FIRs in these cases.
An MTU official said that colleges may also check the identity of students attending the classes using the same biometric device in middle of the academic session.
Meanwhile, Pandey said that in several instances students were caught using mobile phones with blue-tooth connectivity for cheating during examinations. Teachers also carry mobile phones in examination halls and that could be misused.