Maharashtra Board Plans to Shut Down Exam Centres With Cheating Cases or Low Student Strength
Pune, 12th September 2025: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has announced that several exam centres may be shut from the February–March 2026 SSC and HSC examinations if they were found involved in malpractice during the 2025 exams or fail to meet the minimum student strength requirement.
According to board officials, schools running centres with fewer than 200 students for Class 10 and 250 for Class 12 may lose permission to host exams next year. Institutions located in remote areas with limited enrolments can approach the divisional boards for a review, and their requests will be considered after verification.
Board Chairman Sharad Gosavi said that strict action is being taken against centres where the flying squad or external agencies detected cheating earlier this year. “We have identified more than 130 such centres, and they will not be allowed to continue. However, if the malpractice was reported internally by the school’s own teachers, those centres will not face closure,” he clarified.
He further explained that the minimum student strength norms will be applied rigorously: 200 for SSC and 250 for HSC in urban areas; 125 for SSC and 150 for HSC in rural regions; and 100 for SSC and 125 for HSC in extremely remote areas. “These rules will now be followed strictly,” Gosavi said.
The chairman added that rationalising centres would improve exam conditions. “Fewer centres mean better infrastructure like electricity, water, and proper seating, and it becomes easier to monitor exams. This will also help curb malpractices,” he noted.
Gosavi emphasised that the welfare of students would remain the top priority. “If closing a centre means students will have to travel 20 km to the nearest location, we will not shut it. Similarly, centres in tribal belts or extremely inaccessible regions will not be discontinued even if they fall within a short geographical distance but are hard to reach,” he assured.
Currently, there are 8,500 exam centres across the state. The board has also invited applications for new centres, particularly those equipped with facilities such as CCTV cameras.
