How serious is India's exam cheating scandal? | Inside Story

Summary

In India, over three million students face the cancellation of their entrance exam results due to a massive corruption scandal involving exam paper leaks. Protests erupt as students demand an inquiry and the disbandment of the National Testing Agency, which is under scrutiny for its handling of the exams. The incident highlights broader issues in India's education system, including centralization, privatization, and a lack of access for marginalized communities. The government's response and the potential overhaul of the examination system are under the spotlight.

Takeaways

• 😡 India is facing a major corruption scandal where exam papers for top courses like medicine and PhDs were leaked or sold, affecting over 3 million students.
• 🔍 The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the exams, is under fire for the leaks, leading to the invalidation and retaking of exams.
• 👨‍💼 Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken action by dismissing the official in charge of the examinations agency, indicating a test of its ability to restore public confidence.
• 🚨 Students have been protesting in the streets of New Delhi, demanding an inquiry with Supreme Court intervention and the dissolution of the NTA.
• 📚 The scandal has highlighted larger issues within India's education system, such as a mismatch between the supply and demand for educational opportunities.
• 🏛️ There is a call for greater accountability and transparency in the examination process, with some suggesting a return to the pre-2018 examination system that was more decentralized.
• 🏢 The centralization of exams under the NTA has been criticized for leading to increased corruption opportunities and a lack of academic autonomy.
• 📉 The government's policy towards education has been questioned, with concerns about a shift towards privatization and a decrease in public funding for higher education.
• 🌐 The scandal has implications for marginalized communities who may not have access to private education systems and are disproportionately affected by the exam irregularities.
• 🏆 The opposition is capitalizing on the issue, using it to criticize the government's handling of the education sector and its commitment to transparency and fairness.
• 🔄 The government is under pressure to address the crisis, with the potential for widespread disillusionment with the education system affecting its political standing.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the video script?

The main issue discussed is the corruption scandal in India's education system where exam papers were leaked, affecting over 3 million students, and the subsequent impact on the students and the nation's exam system.

What has been the reaction of the students to the exam paper leaks?

The students have been protesting, demanding an inquiry with the Supreme Court's intervention, and the disbandment of the national testing agency, as they feel years of study and stress have been made worthless.

What action has been taken by the Indian government in response to the scandal?

The Indian government has fired the official in charge of the examinations agency and has initiated a high-level Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the matter.

What are the implications of the exam leaks for students seeking entrance to state universities?

The exams that students had passed have been declared invalid and they will have to be retaken, causing uncertainty and stress for those seeking entrance to state universities for medical schools and PhD programs.

What is the role of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in this scandal?

The NTA is responsible for conducting the national exams and is being blamed for the failure in the exam system, leading to widespread cheating and paper leaks.

What is the historical context of exam scandals in India?

This is not India's first exam scandal, but it is the largest one to date. Previous complaints have been lodged about corruption surrounding entrance exams for government jobs.

How has the scandal affected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government?

The scandal is putting pressure on Modi's newly formed government, especially after his BJP lost its outright majority in the general election, and is being criticized for control and corruption issues.

What are the broader issues highlighted by the exam leak scandal?

The scandal highlights larger concerns such as the mismatch between the supply and demand for educational positions, the pressure on centralized testing systems, and the gaps in state capacity and governance architecture.

What are the potential consequences for students from marginalized communities due to the scandal?

Students from marginalized communities may be disproportionately affected due to their limited access to private education and testing systems, and the potential for increased pressure and competition for limited seats in higher education.

What are the panelists' views on the necessity for reform in India's education system?

The panelists believe that there is a need for an overhaul, including greater accountability, restoration of autonomy, addressing the centralization and privatization of education, and increasing investments in higher education.

How do the panelists suggest restoring public trust in the examination system?

The panelists suggest an independent probe into the scandal, removal of those involved from the investigation process, and a shift towards more transparency, decentralization, and accountability in the examination system.

Outlines

00:00

😠 Exam Leaks in India: A Crisis in Education

The script details a corruption scandal in India's education system, where exam papers for top courses like medicine and PhDs were leaked or sold, affecting over 3 million students. The incident has led to widespread protests and calls for an inquiry, with the Prime Minister's government under pressure to restore confidence. The National Testing Agency, responsible for the exams, faces scrutiny, and the government's response is being closely watched. The scandal has highlighted issues of corruption, the impact on students' futures, and the need for systemic reform.

05:03

🏛️ The National Testing Agency's Role in Exam Scandal

This paragraph delves into the role of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the exam leak scandal. It discusses the agency's failure to conduct exams properly and the political connections of its chairperson, who was appointed with recommendations from the RSS, the ideological parent organization of the BJP. The paragraph also touches on the broader implications of the scandal, including the impact on students from marginalized communities and the systemic issues within India's education system, such as the mismatch between supply and demand for educational opportunities.

10:05

📜 The Prevalence of Exam Leaks and Corruption

The script describes the widespread nature of exam leaks and corruption in India's education system. It discusses the ease with which students can access leaked papers if they have the resources, and the political connections often found in those involved in the leaks. The narrative suggests a systemic issue, with the centralization of exams leading to greater corruption and a lack of accountability. The impact on students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, is highlighted, as well as the broader societal implications of such corruption.

15:08

🏛️ The Impact of Centralization on Education Integrity

This paragraph examines the impact of centralization on the integrity of India's education system. It discusses how the centralization of examination processes under the NTA has led to a lack of transparency and accountability, contributing to the prevalence of corruption. The script also touches on the political implications of the scandal, with the opposition seizing on the issue during elections and the government's response being a key indicator of its commitment to addressing the problem.

20:08

📉 The Need for Systemic Reform in Indian Education

The script calls for a complete overhaul of the education system in response to the exam scandal. It suggests that an independent probe is necessary to restore public trust, and that the NTA may need to be dismantled. The paragraph also addresses the broader issues of education policy, including the need for increased investment in higher education and a move away from privatization. The discussion highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and the need for a more equitable distribution of educational opportunities.

25:11

📚 The Government's Response and the Way Forward

The final paragraph focuses on the government's response to the education crisis and the potential implications for its political standing. It discusses the government's acknowledgment of institutional failure and the need for careful handling of the situation given the recent elections and the lack of a majority. The script suggests that the government's actions will be closely watched, and that addressing the issues of centralization, privatization, and funding in education will be critical to maintaining public trust and ensuring the integrity of the education system.

Keywords

💡Corruption Scandal

A corruption scandal refers to a situation where dishonest or fraudulent conduct is revealed, typically involving those in power. In the context of the video, it relates to the leaking of exam papers in India's education system, affecting millions of students and calling into question the integrity of the examination process. The script mentions widespread cheating in state exams and the demand for an inquiry with Supreme Court intervention.

💡Exam Papers

Exam papers are the documents containing questions or tasks that students must complete in an examination. The script discusses how these papers were leaked or sold, undermining the fairness of exams for top courses like medicine and PhDs. The leak has led to a significant number of students having to retake exams, as their original results have been declared invalid.

💡National Testing Agency (NTA)

The National Testing Agency is the body responsible for conducting entrance exams in India. The script highlights the NTA as the entity in charge of the examinations that were compromised, and it is criticized for its failure to maintain the security and integrity of the exam process. The government's decision to fire the official in charge of the NTA is mentioned as a response to the scandal.

💡Entrance Exams

Entrance exams are tests that students must pass to gain admission to educational institutions or programs. The script discusses how the leaking of entrance exam papers for courses such as medicine and PhDs has invalidated the results and forced students to retake these exams, causing widespread distress and protest.

💡Leak

In the context of the video, a leak refers to the unauthorized disclosure of information, specifically exam papers. The script describes how this has led to an unusually high number of top marks and a subsequent investigation by the police, highlighting the severity of the breach in the examination system.

💡Protests

Protests are public demonstrations of objection or support. The script describes how students in India have been protesting against the examination system in chaos, demanding inquiries and the dissolution of the NTA. The protests are a direct response to the perceived injustice and the impact on their future prospects.

💡Legal Action

Legal action refers to the process of taking a case to court to resolve a dispute. The script mentions that some students are resorting to legal action against the examination system, indicating the depth of their dissatisfaction and the perceived need for a formal response to the situation.

💡Centralization

Centralization is the process of consolidating power or authority in a central location or group. The script discusses how the centralization of examination processes under the NTA has led to problems, including the exam leaks and a perceived loss of accountability and transparency.

💡Investigation

An investigation is a formal inquiry or examination into an issue. The script mentions that the Indian government is conducting an investigation into the exam paper leaks, with the Central Bureau of Investigation being involved to get to the bottom of the scandal.

💡Education System

The education system refers to the structure and organization of educational institutions and processes in a country. The script highlights the crisis in India's education system, with the exam scandal revealing deeper issues such as centralization, privatization, and a lack of investment in higher education.

💡Youth Unemployment

Youth unemployment refers to the percentage of the youth population that is jobless. The script connects the exam scandal to broader issues such as high youth unemployment and poverty, indicating that the crisis in the education system has wider societal implications.

Highlights

Over 3 million students in India have had their entrance exam results declared invalid due to a corruption scandal involving leaked exam papers.

Protests erupted as students demand an inquiry with Supreme Court intervention and the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The Indian government has fired the official in charge of the examinations agency amidst the scandal.

Students are taking legal action, feeling betrayed after years of study and stress were rendered worthless by the exam scandal.

The scandal is not the first in India, but it is the largest, affecting entrance exams for government jobs and implicating many applicants.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is under pressure to act, following the BJP's loss of an outright majority in recent elections.

The opposition parties are blaming the government for an unfair system of control and corruption, exacerbating youth unemployment and poverty issues.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), established in 2018, has been accused of being the epicenter of the exam leak crisis.

Concerns are raised over the centralization of exams under the NTA, leading to a lack of accountability and transparency.

The demand for educational opportunities far exceeds supply, creating intense pressure and a fertile ground for corruption.

Students from marginalized communities are particularly affected, facing disadvantages in accessing testing centers and coaching centers.

The government's policy towards commercialization and privatization of education is criticized for prioritizing profit over access and affordability.

Experts call for an independent probe into the exam leak scandal to restore public trust in the examination system.

The scandal has highlighted the need for greater accountability and reforms in the education system, beyond just addressing corruption.

Students demand the resignation of the education minister and the chairperson of the NTA, showing dissatisfaction with the current investigation methods.

The government's response to the scandal is being closely watched as it navigates the aftermath of the election and widespread disillusionment with the education system.

Transcripts

Fury in India students see their estate

exam results scrapped because of a

corruption Scandal police are

investigating leaks of exam papers

affecting more than 3 million young

people so what's next for the students

and the country's education system this

is Inside Story

[Music]

[Music]

hello and welcome to the show I'm Sami

Zan years of study for more than three

million students in India have come to

nothing that's not down to them failing

exams but because of a failure in the

nation's exam system you see entrance

exam papers for top courses such as

medicine and phds have been leaked or

sold exams that student students had

passed now been declared invalid and

will have to be retaken prime minister

Narendra Mod's government has fired the

official in charge of the examinations

agency but it faces a major test of its

own to restore confidence in the system

so how could this happen and what's the

impact on India and its young people

we'll speak with our guests in a few

moments but first here's Laura Khan with

the

background fury on the streets of New

Deli over an examination system in chaos

students have been protesting since

widespread cheating was reported in

state exams with papers being leaked in

return for payment with an unusually

high number of people scoring top marks

the national testing agency that runs

the system is being

blamed demand it we demand that there be

an inquiry with the Supreme Court's

intervention the national testing agency

must be disbanded and the ministry must

be dissolved

the exams affect students seeking

entrance to State universities for

medical school and PHD programs they're

Furious that years of study exam

pressure and stress have effectively

been made

worthless we asking the education

Minister damitra pan to take this money

and return our future back to us and

some students are taking legal action

students really don't know what to do

where to go people have people have

petitioned the highest court in this

country the Supreme Court in the count

country the government is trying to say

that we have formed an inquiry committee

but the inquiry committee report will

come within two months it's not India's

first Scandal over exams but it's the

biggest complaints have been lodged this

year about corruption surrounding

entrance exams for government's jobs

with many applicants losing out to those

with money and

influence the government says it's

taking action Prime Minister nandra Modi

Saed The agency's Head and some exams

have been cancelled and several people

arrested when it was clear that the test

paper on the dark net matches the

original paper we decided that there

should be a highlevel Central Bureau of

Investigation inquiry on the

matter the Scandal is putting pressure

on modi's newly formed government just

after his BJP lost its outright majority

in the general election that ended at

the start of June many protesters and

students are rallying with opposition

parties blaming an unfair system of

control and Corruption at a time when

they're also angry about high youth

unemployment and poverty the youngsters

in India simply have no way through and

it's not just a educational crisis it's

a crisis in pretty much every sphere

that we are

facing those hoping to advance their

careers through education are left not

knowing when their next exam will be nor

when this Scandal will be resolved Laura

Khan for Inside Story Al

jaaz well all of our guests are in New

Delhi today Andy is the former president

of the jawaharlal Neu University

students union Kiran bati is a senior

visiting fellow at the center for policy

research specializing in education

policy and svasti Das scup is a senior

reporter at the wire who focuses on

politics policy and governance if I

could start with sravasti so how could

so many tests be potentially compromised

so many times and at such a

scale well that's really the question

that's in front of uh the Modi

government at present Sami because this

is an unprecedented crisis that we are

facing in India today where National

exams uh which were earlier conducted on

a similar scale for simultaneously for

years this time we are seeing that

there's a complete failure on the part

of the government in conducting these

exams and what people are tracing back

to is the national testing agency which

was entrusted with the uh duty to

conduct these exams back in 2018 now the

chairperson of the national testing

agency according to a right to

information uh right to information data

that has come out a query that was

submitted in the right to information in

query has uh revealed that the

chairperson he was appointed first to

the madhya Pradesh State Public Service

Commission on the recommendation of the

RSS which is the ideological parent

organization of the BJP and subsequently

he has been appointed to several other

Public Service Commission heads

including the union Public Service

Commission that oversees the uh the

bureaucrats that are conduct

examinations for bureaucrats at a

central level in India now that head has

not rolled even now despite so many

irregularities that have come out not

just in the neet which looks into the

medical examinations medical entrance

examinations but also the net exam which

um gives entrance exams to Junior

research fellowships as well as

assistant professors now the government

has acted because as we mentioned

earlier the fact is that the Modi

government is short of an absolute

majority so it is on the back foot just

at the back of an election campaign

where the opposition did raise up paper

leaks as a massive issue and the youth

across the country wherever we have gone

reporting everywhere the youth have said

very clearly that paper leaks is a major

issue people in India youth in India are

dependent on government jobs because

they they look at it as a form of

security uh as a form of life where a

government job gives them a sense of

lifelong security and pensions even

after they retire so uh paper leaks was

a major issue during elections now after

the elections with the BJP being shot of

an absolute majority with 240 seats and

having to rely on its allies the

government if I we'll we'll pick up in a

moment on the question of how implicated

the BJP and the RSS is on this but

before we go too further down that road

of politics I want to take a step back

again and and ask Kiran the question

obviously this is not this problem of

leaked papers it doesn't look like the

actions of just a Rogue individual given

the numbers of times that this has

happened and the scale who's behind it

how big and how powerful a network must

be operating here it's hard to say just

uh because you know the investigation is

only just begun uh but it obviously

involves a large network of you know not

just people in probably in the testing

agency but uh private touts and people

also in education institutions but I

think the point that uh really needs to

be highlighted here is that you know

over and above the corruption aspect

what this exam leak has highlighted is

the LGE are larger concerns or

challenges that the education system in

India is clearly facing today I mean

obviously there is a huge mismatch

between the supply uh of educational U

you know positions or seats in colleges

uh and the demand for them I think in

the higher education there is huge huge

crunch which clearly the numbers as you

said you know more than three nearly 3

million students competing for 11 you

know 110,000 seats you know it's a huge

there's a huge amount of pressure that

is on them also as shasti hinted because

we have been experiences what

experienced what has been called jobless

growth the demand for you know

educational opportunities that are

directly linked to jobs like medicine or

engineering or also government jobs like

you know the police Etc which are all

all of these are now under uh sort of

are being operated through centralized

testing systems uh there's a huge

pressure on those systems and and

they've given rise to uh you know

opportunities for corruption so to speak

clearly it also hints at um big gaps in

state capacity so to speak or you know

in the governance architecture that is

around these Central testing agencies uh

which are partly responsible for the

kinds of you know for this kind of

situation there is also you know the the

recent tendency toward greater

centralization and the fact that a lot

of these exams have come under a central

testing agency and there are a lot of

questions raised which do arise about

you know how you know what that has done

to the autonomy uh of state level

institutions including a state boards

and state curricular which and students

from you know small those those are

important questions let me if I may

bring in Ani biology into this and the

first question there's lots of questions

to ask about you know what this means

for students and what they want but

before we get there just give us the

perspective of how easy it is for a

student to get hold of leaked papers is

this something of a very Fringe problem

or is it quite common knowledge amongst

students well you see what has happened

in last 10 years from the time the

present Union government the present BJP

government has been powered they have

slowly been changing the way way

examinations have been held the

autonomous decentralized way the

examinations were held have been turned

into a Tri C formula which I call it as

centralization control leading to

Ultimate corruption the NTA National

testing agency which has turned which

has turned out to be the national trauma

Agency for students in India is the

symptom of this new Syndicate why do I

call it as a Syndicate the question the

answer to your question lies over there

students today when they give an exam

ation they don't know who is responsible

if the paper goes wrong there's no

mechanism for accountability there's no

mechanism to know whether the exam

process is transparent there's no

mechanism to he hold someone responsible

for an act a criminal act like a paper

leak for cor corruption that is the

reason I called the whole system of NTA

as a criminal Syndicate and this was

built in 2018 to dismantle the earlier

system as our earlier panelist have so

practically speaking biology what does

that mean for students if you're going

into an exam does that make it easier

for you to cheat if you want

to no it depends upon whether you have

the money to buy that question paper you

know the networks so what is surprising

is one of the facts that has come come

out in every case of paper leag in every

case of corruption that has emerged in

last six to seven years most of the

times it is the people who are

associated with the ruling party that

are being getting caught so there is a

some kind of Syndicate that has been

established and people who are on Kno

how of that of that system are getting

part of the system because seats are

less the competition is more if you have

the money if you have the resource if

you have the network people are getting

in more getting into the system for

example if I can take a small example

multiple times uh situations have come

to this uh situations have Arisen that

the question papers were leaked in the

telegram Channel and they became viral

and this is just before the examination

started so the examination had to be

cancelled after the examination was held

this happened in recruitment exams this

has happened in entrance examinations

this has happened in University

examinations and in a system that is

rigged to this level where students are

having to face postponement and

cancellation on a day-to-day basis you

can imagine the trauma that the students

are okay so vasti the opposition it

sounds like we're going down the

direction which the opposition have been

talking about that this is part of a big

problem of government corruption is that

the way you read the

situation well I would say that it's a

two-pronged problem it's not just

corruption definitely it is corruption

because as Balaji was just mentioning I

and I also spoke to several students uh

after the paper leaks took place after

the examinations net exam was cancelled

and they told me that they knew about

the fact that the question papers were

available in telegram channels for

students and it was just about who has

the money and the resources to pay for

those uh papers and get access to it and

who doesn't so these paper leaks have

become so commonplace that it was a very

very uh big burning issue during the

elections and the opposition did manage

to capitalize on it in crucial States

like utar Pradesh and in Bihar but apart

from corruption which the Modi

government of course claims to have

cracked down upon and and it tries to

pitch itself as different from the

earlier Congress like UPA government

which was uh rought with corruption

scams and therefore um eventually saw

its downfall and the r of the BJP in

2014 so um these paper leagues not only

show the corruption um that is there in

the Modi government and its inability to

tackle these problems but also the fact

that centralization is a major scheme

that the BJP government has sought to

bring in in every form of uh government

functioning whether it is the conduct of

examinations whether it is the conduct

of government business everything thing

is is trying they're trying to make it a

centralized structure where the it's a

top- down approach and democ democracy

and Federalism is being trampled upon

and that is a charge that the opposition

is making and observers are also making

that it's not just corruption but an

effort to centralize everything is

leading to problems of uh Democrat loss

of democratization and a given what you

said if it if it's a problem of the

systematic centralization of everything

can conf can the authorities confidently

say as they are to people will get to

the bottom of this we'll investigate

this when even some of the investigative

bodies like the CBI I mean they

themselves have been alleged to have

been politically manipulated by the BJ

absolutely absolutely and uh you know

the CBI used to be called uh the Caged

parrot during the UPA times but now we

have seen in the 10 years of the Modi

government not just the CBI other

Central agencies like the enforcement

directorate which looks into economic

offenses um that has also become under

um the central government's rule in the

sense that it functions on the

directives of the ruling party in a

sense that it cracks down on opposition

leaders and and it gives a clean chick

to those opposition leaders who have

joined the BJP um during elections so

centralization is a huge problem in this

regard and democracy and federalism the

federal principle in Indian democracy is

under attack I want to go back to

biology if I can and say what what is

the bottom line here what does this mean

for students who've sat their exams and

now they're learning that it's all

cancelled what's the bottom line for

them they lose time they lose

opportunity they miss the year for

enrollment there's only one word it's

called trauma and also when a student he

writes an exam there is a hope that the

examination is free and fair by doing

this by failing the students they have

killing the hope the students have for a

future and one point that has to be

understood if there if there has to be a

solution for this present problem the

NTA has to go let me broaden the

discussion out a little bit though and

bring in Kiran and ask this question

from a broader sociological perspective

what what does this mean particularly

for students people from disadvantage

ant AG communities because there's a lot

at stake particularly for them right

they don't have access to the private

education tests and

systems yeah I mean there are very clear

implications for them both in terms of

uh you know the opportunities uh

available to them and in terms of being

able to access even these uh testing uh

services or you know the testing centers

uh like was mentioned earlier uh the

centralization has in particular

impacted a lot of students from

marginalized communities many of whom

are you know live in rural areas or in

smaller towns uh because a they go to

schools that are perhaps run by state

boards and so their access to Central

board curricular are very limited and if

these Central testing agencies are

setting the tests then they're likely to

be setting them based on Central Central

School curricula so already that's a you

know one layer of disadvantage they

faced in addition because these uh you

know there's a lot of cost involved in

accessing these centers and taking these

tests but in addition to that because of

the huge amount of competition that the

mismatch between demand and supply has

created uh we have the phenomena of the

now Infamous coaching centers which are

also uh you know not easy to access for

people of marginalized backgrounds but

coaching centers for your viewers are

specialized centers which provide

coaching for these standardized

centralized examinations particularly

for medicine and for engineering they

are held in particular cities uh you

know in several several states of India

and not only are there extremely um you

know pressurized environments and

recently there have been cases of you

know several suicides committed just in

one of the centers which has you know

made a lot of news based in Rajasthan uh

in the state of Rajasthan because these

students are put under so much pressure

to you know study in a particular way in

order to be able to compete these highly

competitive examinations but they're

also removed from regular schools to be

part of these coaching centers so it

sort of really removes them from all the

other benefits that that an education

system provides and puts them under huge

psychological as well as kind of

pedagogical pressure so um yeah yeah um

I'm wondering sasti given everything

we've been saying so far then how easy

is the fix is it just a matter of

reviewing some exams see what was leaked

and just resetting those exams or does

it sound like there's much bigger

institutional factors at play

here I think uh the situation has now

come to a point where a complete

overhaul is required because uh we need

an independent probe into what really

has gone on and the people who are uh

alleged to have been involved or all the

people who are part of um this this

agency they there is a deficit of public

trust in the NTA National testing agency

as well as the government if the

government is to restored the Public's

faith and trust in the agency and in the

conduct of Public Service examinations

that affect a millions of students and

people across the country then an

independent probe is the way to go where

the government has to ensure that the

people who are um who were involved are

completely far removed from the probe

process perhaps prob by an independent

judge uh could be the way out but the

government needs to explore ways to

restore public faith and to ensure that

the probe is conducted in an independent

manner that's a good point let me take

it to biology what do the students want

do you think they will see the

investigative process that's been

launched this panel that's been put

together from the NTA will they see that

as the independent probe which um our

guests are talking about

no there's no independent probe it's an

illusion and students are not happy with

the method of Investigation that's

happening as I said students are

demanding the resignation of the

minister and also the UTC chairperson

who are responsible for this mess you

know there's one one I just want to

bring up one fact there's a solution to

this problem the solution lies in the

way the examinations were being held pre

2018 that was a method that has

diversity that was a method that has

decentralization that had a method that

had accountability where education

Institution would hold their own

entrance examinations for at University

level and at National level you had

competent bodies like Central Board of

secondary education for example cbsc

that would hold ugc net examination and

for medical and the engineering

examination the iits and the medical

colleges would take turns to host uh to

organize the entrance examinations at

the lat Sev as a large scale now what

has happened is you have taken away the

academic autonomy and the academic

competence that was there earlier to an

incompetent a completely non-academic

bureaucratic body which has no powers in

its capacity which is registered under

the societies act we don't even know the

terms of its existence biology does that

mean the students want the national

testing agency ultimately to be disand

it absolutely without any fact it's it

has become a national trauma Agency for

the students all right I can see um

Kiran wants to get in on it go

ahead yeah I think you know it's

absolutely correct what everybody is

saying that you know there needs to be

greater accountability there needs to be

first of all greater autonomy restored

which the earlier system had Etc but I

think somewhere let's not lose sight of

the larger picture I think what also

needs to be done is that the education

system in general leads a lot more

reform we have seen especially since in

the in the last decade or so that the

education budgets have come down

dramatically and so the supply demand

problem has just become much worse as

more and more people are seeking higher

education the opportunities or the seats

available to them have really shrunk

because investment in education has

shrunk so unless one addresses that huge

mismatch this idea of this huge

competition and pressure for a limited

number of seats is always going to

create opportunities for corruption I

mean you may bring in more

accountability and try to bring that in

but there will be ways found to you know

circumvent that in one way or the other

that's not the only solution to this

problem that has that the exam leak has

given I think that the present

government needs to start reexamining

its policy on education in a in a larger

sense and start looking at increasing

investments in education particularly

higher education because there the

demand has gone up much more uh than the

supply is able to provide I mean we are

now talking about the massification of

higher education because of this glut in

addition to the kind of thing that that

is there so uh it's not just about it is

of course about transparency and

attacking the corruption that this has

highlighted but it's also about looking

at the larger issues that the system

faces so let's also bring in some focus

on those things okay biy I could see you

are waving there let me give you a

chance to come in on

that I just wanted to add to what Kiran

was saying I absolutely agree that the

whole point that right now is happening

is because of seats but you also have to

understand the way the government has

brought in the policy rather than

increasing the seats in the public

funded universities which is accessible

and affordable for the large population

of the people there is a great tendency

towards commercialization and

privatization where you have private

universities that have come in and where

policies like reservation which is

social justice policy for elevating

people who are the marginalized cast and

gender and other people leaving that

aside we are pushing in high fees loan

based education model in India which is

being funded through loans it's a model

that is being rejected in the west that

is being adopted in the east in a

country like India so even in places

where there is expansion of seats that

is happening it is happening with the

idea that education should be a model

for profit but not education education

not a model for Access and affordability

this is something that we also have to

accept and unless and until this is

addressed at a large level you cannot go

ahead and do because majority of the

population in India even today does not

earn a significant wage that they can

pay lacks and lacks of rupees of uh

tution fees to access Higher Education

Without social justice policies like

reservation it is impossible that means

the state support in public fund

education has to increase rather what is

happening is the reversal of it is

happening I can see Kiran you want all

right let me give you let me give you a

quick comeback on that Kanan before we

have to bring in sravasti go ahead sure

yeah yeah I I agree that that's what I

meant that the government has to look at

what it's doing in education and in in

addition to centralization that has been

the recent policy there's also been a

much greater shift towards privatization

and I and I think that there needs to be

a comeback from there just as there

needs to be a comeback towards more

decentralization it is absolutely true

that more than 50% almost 50% of the

seats so less privatization more

government investment in education

particularly higher education is clearly

the need of the are okay so I think that

that side of the screen is in agreement

let me take the question to svasti the

the bigger picture here for the

government how much of a threat to the

government is this wide disillusionment

with the education system it's not just

down to exams as we're hearing from our

panelists on this show it's down to

other issues whether it's the

centralization the privatization the

amount of funding for

Education uh I would say that uh since

uh the BJP it's just come out of an

election it has not won an majority on

its own 240 seats it's still short of 32

seats of a full majority so it has to

tread cautiously the opposition after

election results has made it very clear

that they're going to wait and watch so

how these protests really plays uh play

out is very important for the BJP

especially how it handles it because we

have seen that protests have broken out

across the country not necessarily

backed by political parties but student

bodies have been protesting so the

government has been forced to act we

have seen that the education Minister

came and addressed a press conference

earlier when there used to be paper

leaks in the previous Modi government

there used to be close to no response

from the government from the government

side and here we saw the union Minister

for Education coming and um accepting

responsibility in a sense saying that

there has been an Institutional failure

so the the government is on the back

foot it needs to tread carefully and it

knows that it's it does not have a

majority on its own and therefore it it

is at danger at at this point it does

not have the impunity that it had five

years ago to roll through laws as they

would have liked in Parliament to do as

they wish to so if the BJP government is

going To Tread a lot more carefully than

it would have uh prior to these

elections and we'll be watching as they

do let's thank Our Guest though at this

point anai Balaji Kiran biti and sasti

Das scup and thank you too for watching

you can see the show again anytime by

visiting our website aljazeera.com for

further discussion head over to our

Facebook page that's

facebook.com/ AJ insid story you can

also join the conversation on x our hand

there is at AJ inside story from me Sami

Zan and the whole team here for now it's

goodbye