Chennai, March 10 : The Tamil Nadu Class 10 public examinations under the State Board syllabus will commence on Wednesday, with more than nine lakh students set to appear across the State.

According to the School Education Department, the examinations will be conducted from March 11 to April 6. On the first day, students will write the language paper, including Tamil and other language subjects.

Authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure the smooth and fair conduct of the examinations. A total of 9,09,397 candidates will take the examinations at 4,219 centres set up across Tamil Nadu.

Among them are 8,82,806 students from 12,467 schools, 26,196 private candidates, and 395 prison inmates.

In addition, 12,292 students will write the examination with the assistance of scribes, the department said. To oversee the conduct of the exams, 49,542 teachers have been appointed as room invigilators.

Authorities have also deployed 4,954 fixed and flying squads across the State to prevent malpractices during the examination period.

Special monitoring teams comprising District Collectors, Chief Educational Officers, and officials from the Revenue Department have been constituted to supervise the examination process.

Meanwhile, armed police personnel will be deployed round-the-clock at 300 question paper storage centres to ensure the security of the examination materials.

Officials said that all examination centres have been equipped with essential facilities such as drinking water, adequate seating arrangements, electricity, ventilation, lighting, and toilet facilities to ensure a comfortable environment for students.

Strict guidelines have been issued for both students and invigilators. The use of mobile phones or any electronic devices inside examination halls has been strictly prohibited.

Students must write their answers using blue or black ink pens only, and the use of colour pens or pencils is not permitted.

Candidates are also instructed not to mention any codes, names, or examination numbers on the answer sheets.

Each answer booklet will be accompanied by a cover sheet containing the studentâ??s photograph, registration number, and subject details. Students must verify these details and sign the sheet, while room supervisors will ensure that the answer sheets are properly separated and collected.

Authorities warned that any malpractice, including impersonation, misbehaviour with exam officials, or tampering with answer sheets, will attract strict disciplinary action.

Offenders may face a ban of up to three years or even permanent disqualification from public examinations. Schools found encouraging irregularities risk losing their accreditation.

The evaluation of answer sheets will begin after the exams, and the results are scheduled to be announced on May 20.

To assist students and parents, the department has set up an examination control room that will function from 8 AM to 8 PM on all examination days. Queries and complaints can be registered by calling 94983 83075 or 94983 83076, or through the School Education Departmentâ??s toll-free helpline 14417, officials said.

/IANS