Collapse of Trust in Examination System Amounts to a Collapse in Trust in System as a Whole
Pratap Bhanu Mehta | 25 June 2024 | The Indian Express
There is no question that the NEET exam scandal is a colossal breach of trust. In any high stakes examination system, there will be attempts to circumvent the system. Even the famed Chinese Gaokao system was subject to cases of identity theft. But the scale this time is staggering. The paper leaks spread from Gujarat to Bihar. NTA had to preemptively cancel other exams. This suggests a widespread systemic rot, not an episodic lapse. The early indications from Bihar suggest that this racket might extend to other government exams as well. Across exams, almost three million students are now subject to unimaginable psychological pressure, financial hardship and pedagogical uncertainty. It is lucky for the government that the scandal broke after the election. It would otherwise have gone into the election with its reputation for governance in ruins. It now starts a new tenure with a shameful trust deficit…