Lucknow: Reforms introduced by UP govt to make the traditional education system more transparent and organised has led to significant rise in number of students appearing for the 2026 Madrassa Education Board examinations.According to official data, 80,933 students took exams this year, an increase of 12,510 candidates compared to 2025. Last year, 68,423 students appeared. Rise of 18.29 per cent has been attributed to measures aimed at ensuring examinations free of unfair means and timely declaration of results.The munshi/maulvi (secondary) and alim (senior Secondary) Arabic-Persian examinations were held smoothly across the state on Feb 9. Tests were conducted in two shifts at 277 centres spread across 71 districts. The munshi/maulvi paper was scheduled in the first shift, followed by the alim Arabic examination in the second.A total of 62,232 candidates were registered for the munshi/maulvi examination, including 32,389 boys and 29,843 girls. For the alim examination, 18,701 students registered, among them 9,092 boys and 9,609 girls. Officials noted that the figures reflect a steady increase in the participation of female students in madrasa education.District-level flying squads, internal inspection teams, sector magistrates and static magistrates were deployed to maintain transparency and prevent malpractices. At council level, a centralised monitoring system tracked examination centres through CCTV cameras. Authorities said these measures helped ensure smooth and fair conduct of the exams.Madrassa Education Board stated that preparations for the announcement of result in May is nearing completion. Officials said timely results would support students in pursuing further studies and admission processes. They added that govt efforts to modernise madrasa education and integrate it with mainstream systems have contributed to improved participation this year.
