Bhubaneswar: The annual Higher Secondary Examination in Odisha will begin on February 18, while the Secondary School Certificate Examination, along with the State Open School Certificate and Madhyama examinations, will commence from February 19, officials said on Saturday.
Preparations for the smooth and disciplined conduct of the examinations were reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg. Emphasising that the examination process is directly linked to the future of students, Garg warned that no negligence at any level would be tolerated and directed all officials concerned to discharge their responsibilities with utmost caution, efficiency and accountability.
The review meeting was attended virtually by District Collectors, Additional District Collectors and Superintendents of Police from all districts. Senior officials present included School and Mass Education Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Mrinal Kanti Das , the Chairman of the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Examination Controller Prashant Kumar Parida, Deputy Secretary Yashwant Samal and other officers. Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, President Shrikanth Tarai, Vice-President Amulya Kumar Pradhan and Examination Controller Chakradhar Behera also attended and briefed the meeting on arrangements.
In the Annual Higher Secondary Examination-2026, 4,16,623 candidates will appear, including 2,56,707 from Arts, 24,621 from Commerce, 1,14,363 from Science and 5,932 from vocational streams. A total of 211 examination management hubs, 1,357 examination centres and seven sub-centres have been set up. The examination will be conducted from February 18 to March 28, 2026.
The Annual Secondary Certificate Examination will be held from February 19 to March 2, 2026. While 5,46,875 candidates will appear for the Secondary Examination, the total number of candidates, including Open School Certificate and Madhyama examinations, will be 5,61,979. For this purpose, 322 nodal centres, 3,082 examination centres and 50 answer script evaluation centres have been established across the state.
Officials said elaborate security measures have been put in place for the dispatch of question papers from the Board of Secondary Education headquarters at Cuttack to nodal centres. Question papers will be transported by designated teams accompanied by armed police personnel. All nodal centres and examination centres will remain under round-the-clock security and CCTV surveillance from the receipt of question papers until the collection of answer booklets.
The use of mobile phones and electronic devices inside examination centres has been strictly prohibited. Any violation of examination rules will invite action under the Odisha Examination Act, 1988, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
The Chief Secretary directed that examination guidelines be strictly followed and made available with all District Collectors, Superintendents of Police and district nodal officers. School and Mass Education Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Dr. Naik urged district administrations and police authorities to ensure orderly conduct of the examinations and prevent unnecessary crowding near examination centres.
