Bhubaneswar: Upholding old format of conducting Odisha board matric examination, the state government is likely to come up with change in the pattern to keep transparency.

The students have to appear the examination, which is conducted by Board of Secondary Education (BSE), in other schools as it will not be held in their respective schools.

The government is planning to make other schools as the centre where the examination could be conducted.

A discussion has been held among senior officials at state secretariat in primary level to hold the examination at the centre that will be located between 5 km away from the school.

A final decision is likely to be taken soon this week, sources said.

Earlier, the students were appearing matric examination in other schools.

The process will help towards maintaining the transparency and imparting quality education to the students.

Receiving the suggestions from the educationists, the School & Mass Education department is aiming to reintroduce the old format for conducting matric examination from 2018. A meeting under chairmanship of minister of concerned department Badri Narayan Patra is likely to be held between three to five days. The final decision will be made shortly in this regard, sources in the department said.

By conducting the examination in own schools, the students are getting opportunity for malpractice. While the students' passout percentage is rising every year by 2 to 3 percent due to rampant malpractice during examination, their standard is not improving. In view of rise in students’ passout and degradation in quality education, the government decided to change the pattern in conducting the examination from next year, sources said.