A sunny afternoon in Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi. Every step I make, I step over a UPSC book. And there are probably more books that gol gappas by the lanes. In the flaming sun, where upward glances are toilsome, hoardings with toppers’ pictures “steal my eyes”. The buildings are swallowed by blocks of ads that seem to be running to infinity.
For a nation with a booming population, cutthroat competition and profiteering are ineluctable ramifications. However, things have been going a little too out of hand in our country. Post the advent of the test season this year, the spotlight was on the not-so-neat NEET UG medical entrance examination. One of the toughest and the most competitive exams which saw the participation of over 24 lakh students came under scrutiny once the results were declared. Contrary to its history, 67 students secured AIR 1. Moreover, 1,563 students were awarded grace marks to compensate for the loss of time—a first in the history of NEET. A cast of doubt fell on the credibility of the exam and its organisers. Protests ignited. Streets roared of Re-NEET slogans.
When apprehensions regarding the sanctity of NEET ensued, all fingers pointed towards the National Testing Agency (NTA). Set up by the Ministry of Education as an autonomous body in 2017, the NTA is responsible for the conduct and marking of some of the esteemed exams like NEET, JEE and CMAT, among others. The agency boasted of executing transparent and reliable examinations at the highest level. However, with around 70 students scoring a perfect score of 720, including six from the same exam centre, an air of wariness surrounded the NTA. In an attempt to pour oil on troubled waters, the agency came up with an explanation regarding the awarding of grace marks which proved unacceptable. Ultimately, NTA decided to conduct a re-test for all the 1,563 students. Nevertheless, those who toiled for days and nights nurturing a single dream felt betrayed. Meanwhile, the Bihar police confirmed the NEET paper leak and arrested some suspects. The demand for Re-NEET flamed further. The government, dismissing the incident as isolated, affirmed that a final decision would be taken based on the Supreme Court. Amidst all this, NTA nullified the UGC-NET examination a day after it was conducted, fanning the flames. Initially citing some compromises on the integrity of the exam based on inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit, the government later clarified that the paper was leaked on darknet. And in a few days, the NEET-PG exam was also postponed. Yet again, NTA came under the clouds. Questions were raised about NTA's decision to conduct UGC-NET as a pen-and-paper test, unlike prior times.
NTA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIES
A Russian man hacked the 2021 JEE Main Exam, allowing ‘teachers’ to take the exam instead of candidates. It led to the agency debarring around 20 students.
CBI questioned around eight people for allegedly impersonating candidates in the 2022 NEET-UG entrance examination.
The 2024 JEE Main Exam was also in the headlines for nothing but malpractice. Once again, around 40 students were debarred.
THE SCAM SAGA
Scams may be scattered across the nation. But the most “vyaap” of all was the Vyapam scam. It was in 1982 that the Vyaysayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) was set up by the Madhya Pradesh government to conduct entrance examinations for a variety of professional courses. The faulty lines were detected in 2009 when allegations of paper leak in the medical entrance exam emerged. Soon, anomalies in other recruitments were unsheathed. The government under then-CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan formed a special task force to investigate. As the probe progressed, some whistleblowers and several middlemen thought to be elements in the intricate fraud-web wound by high profile politicians, bureaucrats, doctors and students died, most in mysterious circumstances. These deaths stank of foul play. Yet, they were dismissed as coincidences or natural. The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. A staggering number of 2,000 racketeers were apprehended. The revelations were insane. It involved impersonation, OMR tampering, paper leak, and other contrivances. The criminals pooled in millions.
FRAUDULENCE: A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON
Exam scams are not endemic to India. A scam on similar grounds was engineered in the United States. Some big names including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were active agents in this fraudulence that took sprouts in around 2011 and ran until 2018. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) commenced its “Operation Varsity Blues”, busting the scheme that incorporated bribery to secure university seats. The authorities found guilty were either dismissed or suspended. Some universities went to the extent of abrogating admission to students associated with the scandal.
NEET: ACTIONS SO FAR
While blame games are already being played, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, termed the discrepancies as an institutional failure of NTA. Meanwhile, NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh was fired and temporarily replaced by Pradeep Singh Kharola. CBI took over the investigation regarding the NEET question paper in Bihar and has so far made some arrests. A re-test was conducted for those who were awarded grace marks. Though there are some calls for Re-Neet, not all are favour of it. The Supreme Court has given a green flag for counselling process. Furthermore, former ISRO chairman, Dr K Radhakrishnan, was appointed to lead a committee to examine NTA, which is expected to submit a report in two months.
HAS THIS PANDEMIC A CURE?
Is the intrinsic human nature to resort to unfair means in competitive circumstances to be blamed for this menace? Or are they incited by the lapses of the government? Whether or not the first reason stands, a stringent system of law can keep crimes at bay.
It is undeniable that the central government is answerable for the delayed entry of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which intends to prevent paper leaks and organised malpractices in recruitment examinations like UPSC and entrance tests such as NEET. The act is purportedly stringent as offences under this are deemed non-bailable. However, this act comes with its shortcomings. Since it acts as a model for states, its implementation can vary from state to state.
Nevertheless, it is imperative that law isn't lenient towards the puissant. Artificial Intelligence may be skillfully employed to ensure transparency. A single day shall not decide a student's future—the government could think of a system of continuous assessment, thus easing pressure and reducing chances of malpractices. A centralised surveillance system can also be implemented.
It is to be kept in mind that the development of the nation relies on the youth. A compromise on their future is, in effect, a compromise on the nation's progress.