A fresh slate: Protests must spur urgent education, exam system reboot

The belated resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the government agreeing to withdraw all cases against student protestors have lowered the political temperature, and for the time being allayed widespread angst over the failings of the centrally managed higher examination system. But the key question is whether the government can guarantee a corruption-free and credible process in the future. So far, the policy responses have been reflexive rather than a proactive reckoning of the system.  

When the gravity of the leaks of questions for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduates (Neet-UG) became evident, an admirably swift investigation revealed a nexus between sources in the National Testing Agency (NTA) and coaching-centre teachers, all of whom have been arrested. The exam was rescheduled and held without a hitch. The glitches in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for the Central Board of Secondary Education school-leaving examination resulted in the removal of top board officials and the creation of a one-man inquiry panel, whose findings have not been made public. As the protests ratcheted up under the aegis of the Cockroach Janta Party, and activist Sonam Wangchuk went on indefinite hunger strike, the government opted for draconian police action. When this proved counterproductive and demands for the education minister’s resignation grew, the bureaucrats concerned were transferred, 47 officials of the NTA fired, and “fast-track courts” promised to deal with paper leakers. The government also sent a couple of ministers to engage with the students. 

Leaks of questions for examinations have been part of India’s landscape for long, and the NTA was set up in 2017 to address these issues. It also took over the hitherto decentralised and relatively trouble-free administration of India’s most consequential public exams —including the Joint Entrance Examination for undergraduate engineering programmes, the Common University Entrance Test, and a host of tests for fellowships and postgraduate courses. Since 2018, it has handled over 66 million candidate registrations for competitive tests and conducted more than 270 exams. Yet, the NTA seems puzzlingly under-resourced for this consequential role. According to a government reply in the Rajya Sabha, the agency currently has 24 permanent officials and 197 contractual and outsourced workers. Paper-setting is conducted by the agency and not outsourced, the government said. But printing, physical distribution, and exam-centre logistics are handled by third-party vendors, pointing to a lucrative source for leaks. 

Setting up fast-track courts may ensure that the guilty will be speedily punished, but the rising backlog in similar courts set up in the past does not inspire confidence. Besides, they do not address the core problem of protecting the security of the examinations. In 2024, after yet another leak, the government had formed a high-level committee led by former Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Radhakrishnan to suggest reforms. The recommendations were progressive and doable in a country with India’s information-technology capabilities. Among other things, the committee recommending shifting to computer-based testing from pen-and-paper testing to enhance security, conducting exams over multiple sessions, and eventual shifting to computer-adaptive testing that tailors questions to the levels of individual candidates. None of these changes has been implemented. The current controversy provides a good opportunity to do so. The government has now announced a new high-powered task force, headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, to recommend reforms to the examination system, from the technology perspective as well as the structural systemic changes required. It is hoped that this panel’s recommendations are implemented with greater urgency to re-instill waning confidence.