To compete for a limited number of jobs, India has a large supply-demand mismatch, which has encouraged widespread corruption. One major manifestation of this corruption is the widespread use of paper leaks in everything from Grade 10 and 12 exams to government job fairs. But there are some states that stand out as being especially vulnerable, and Rajasthan is one of them after reporting yet another scandal on Saturday.
This time, over 3 lakh people were impacted when a senior teacher recruitment exam had to be cancelled due to a leaked paper. The REET for primary and upper primary teachers had over 16 lakh applicants when it was cancelled earlier this year. Aspiring secretaries, cops, and rangers have all experienced the same fate. It’s bad enough having to retake an exam for no good reason; some students don’t have time to do so before they reach retirement age.
The opposition BJP in the state blames Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for leaving young people vulnerable to a ruthless “mafia,” much as the opposition Congress in neighbouring Gujarat blames the BJP government for “destroying the future of youth” due to numerous paper leaks.
This kind of political posturing won’t stop paper leaks any more than the internet bans that have become states’ default security measure for conducting exams (despite the fact that NTA conducts the most high-profile exams in the country without this restriction). Of course, effective policing is essential for removing the manipulative influence of special interests. In addition to this, however, it is essential to view technology not as the problem, but as the answer.
Pen and paper examinations necessitate a high cost and an increasingly antiquated level of physical security. States need to put money into making sure that all job levels have access to computerised testing, which won’t happen overnight. Instead of sending all candidates back to the beginning, this model allows for localised breaches. Given the persistent violation of these rights, the CM’s promise that “only hardworking youth will get their rights in Rajasthan” is cold comfort at present.
