PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 6 -- The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the 2026 High School and Intermediate examinations, to be held simultaneously from February 18 to March 12. The announcement ends the wait for 52,30,297 students, including 27,50,945 High School (14,38,682 boys and 13,12,263 girls) and 24,79,352 Intermediate candidates (13,03,012 boys and 11,76,340 girls). UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said the detailed timetable has been uploaded on the official website (upmsp.edu.in). The exams will be conducted in two shifts: 8:30 am to 11:45 am and 2 pm to 5:15 pm. High School exams will begin with Hindi and conclude with Agriculture, while Intermediate exams will also start with General Hindi and end with Computer. On February 19, High School students will appear for the Computer and Sewing examination, while Intermediate students will take the exam in vocational subjects. English and Sanskrit papers for Intermediate are scheduled for February 20. The UP Board has instructed all schools to complete preparations on time and ensure smooth conduct of practical examinations. Meanwhile, the board has intensified preparations for the examinations. Question papers are being finalized, moderation work is underway, and the printing of answer sheets has also begun, shared officials. UP Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh confirmed that the registration process has been successfully completed and the correction process is ongoing. Compared to last year, the number of examinees has decreased by 2,06,877. With the decline in the number of candidates, the number of examination centres is also expected to go down. On average, each centre accommodates 500 to 1,000 students, suggesting that around 200 centres may be reduced this year. In 2025, 8,140 centres were set up for 54.37 lakh examinees, while in 2024, 8,265 centres were allotted for 55.25 lakh students. The trend indicates that the number of centres will continue to decrease along with the reduction in student registrations....