PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 28 -- The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has stepped up scrutiny of applications seeking correction of students' dates of birth, with officials flagging discrepancies in records submitted as evidence for such changes. UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said cases related to correction of students' dates of birth continued to reach the board headquarters through its regional offices. In several cases, verified transfer certificates (TCs) from primary or upper-primary classes are submitted as evidence of the correct date of birth. "Many cases show that the child's age at the time of admission was below the age prescribed under the RTE norms," Singh said. He also pointed out that in several instances, headmasters had failed to mention the record on the basis of which a child's date of birth was entered at the time of admission. Such omissions, he said, raised doubts about the authenticity and reliability of the records. The board has, therefore, clarified the documents that can be accepted as evidence where a birth certificate is not available. These include hospital records or registration records maintained by an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), Anganwadi records, village registers relating to births and deaths, or an affidavit by the child's parents or guardian declaring the child's age. The move is aimed at ensuring that corrections in students' dates of birth are based on authentic and verifiable records and that discrepancies in academic documents are not allowed to persist. htc...