The Uttar Pradesh Board examinations, which are among the largest in Asia, are currently witnessing a notable trend of students skipping the tests. On February 19, the second day of exams saw 27,052 candidates fail to appear, bringing the total number who missed exams over two days to approximately 340,760. In the morning session, which was held from 8:00 AM to 11:45 AM, over 96,000 students were registered for high school computer and intermediate subjects; however, 4,766 students did not report for the exam.

The afternoon session highlighted a larger scale of registration, with 392,274 candidates, out of which 369,988 attended the exam, leading to 22,286 absentees. Given the sheer size of these numbers, officials are investigating the reasons behind such high dropout rates which may indicate issues such as lack of preparation or anxiety among students. Furthermore, measures are being enhanced to minimize cheating during examinations. Recently, one student was caught in the act of cheating, adding to a total of four candidates apprehended so far, and FIRs have been filed against six individuals involved in examination misconduct.

The examinations are conducted in 3005 centers for the high school level, highlighting the logistical challenge of managing such a vast educational assessment. As authorities scramble to ensure the integrity of the exams and address the alarming number of students not participating, there is growing concern about the overall educational environment in Uttar Pradesh and the various pressures students face during this critical period.