Lucknow, Jan 17 (IANS): The class X and XII examinations of students of the UP Board will be held between March 16 and April 21, an official said.

While the official schedule and time table is yet to be released, officials confirmed that the Election Commission has approved the dates, which were earlier deferred due to the state assembly polls.

The High School (Class X) examinations will go on for 15 days while the class XII (Intermediate) exams will be spread out in 25 days, the official informed IANS.

Chairman of the UP Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, Amarnath Verma said that details like timings etc. are being worked out and will be announced soon.

Generally these exams are held between February and March but this year due to the assembly polls had to be shifted to mid-March and would conclude in April. In fact, the Board had announced on December 8 last year the schedule of the examinations from February 16 to March 20 but the poll panel had put brakes on it and asked to defer it.

Nearly 26.24 lakh students are to appear for intermediate exam while 34.4 lakh students will take the high school exam. The total number of students appearing for the UP Board exam has however dwindled from previous years and has this year fallen short by 63,882.

The exams have been marred in the past by charges of mass copying and the Board this time is making arrangements to ensure minimum copying, an official said while informing that 31 districts have been declared 'sensitive' this time. These include Sambhal, Hardoi, Shahjahanpur, Moradabad, Gonda, Agra, Aligarh, Haters, Etah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Bhadohi, Allahabad, Kanpur among others.