Lucknow, May 18 (IANS): Nearly 41,889 students, or 40 per cent, have dropped out of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board exams which began.

Only 68,755 students turned up to take the exam on Wednesday, as 32,427 out of 1,01,182 students who enrolled for the exam, dropped out.

In the second meeting, another 9,462 students dropped out of the exam.

Chairman of the Board Iftikhar Ahmed Javedd said that only 59,293 students were taking the exams at 539 centres spread in 73 districts of state.

"This time madrasa exams are conducted in a strict atmosphere where more than 8,000 teachers are ensuring copying-free examinations. In all the rooms of the examination centres, monitoring is being ensured through CCTV cameras. We are monitoring the activities of every centre through a centralised control room set up in Lucknow," he said.

He further said that this year, the board has provided the best facilities for students including table and chair to write examinations.

No student is sitting on the ground to write the copy as it was a practice in the past.

"Today, students may say that we are showing strictness by not allowing them to copy by monitoring them through CCTV cameras but in the long run it would be beneficial for these students as they would have knowledge at par with other students, and they would be able to beat the competition and get top jobs."

The effort of the board is to improve the infrastructure for students so that they can compete with the students of top schools, said Javed.