In India, examination papers can be traded, much like government secrets. You just have to know the right names in the business - and be prepared to pay the price.
The NEET-UG paper leak is the latest red mark in the country’s scam tainted exam verse. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET (UG), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is an Indian nationwide entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission in undergraduate medical programs. It is one of the most important examinations in India.
To say paper leaks are a common occurrence in India would probably be an understatement. There are a couple every year or so. Important exams such as the Indian Army’s Common Entrance Examination, the Central Teachers’ Eligibility Test (CTET) 2023, and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains 2021 have all been subject to leaks. According to India Today, there have been 65 paper leaks in India since 2019.
The kingpin of the recent NEET-UG is behind bars and accomplices are being nabbed one by one in what seems to be straight out of the pages of a crime thriller. There are reports of the examination papers being stolen from a trunk.
Wouldn’t it have been better if all these sophisticated investigation techniques to catch the perpetrators were put to use before the examinations were planned and conducted? Considering leaks are common, we should have been able to come up with a foolproof system by now. The Indian Institutes of Management were able to do it after the Common Admission Test leak in 2003.
How long till another mastermind is created and another leak springs forth? There have been cries for a complete overhaul of the examination framework and switching to an online format. But online examinations are not without their share of glitches. Plus there is ChatGPT and an entire army cyber criminals to worry about. In a country where 45 per cent do not access the internet (IAMAI-Kantar study, 2023), online exams would put the sizeable rural population at a disadvantage yet again.
What then is the solution? Tackle the rot, dismantle the framework and put proper safeguards in place? Or lie low for a while till the current outrage becomes yesterday’s news and wait for the next leak?
