Two examination-related news hogged the headlines recently — the NEET examination paper leak and the likely compromise of the UGC-NET exam. That makes one wonder whether the agencies conducting the exams were incapable of preventing these malpractices, and whether the students/candidates selected in the previous examinations are above board.

The malaise is deep, and there are many factors that have contributed to it. The huge number of students/job aspirants, running into lakhs, is any testing agency’s nightmare. Exams have to be conducted within a time-frame and at many centres across the country. Monitoring each centre becomes difficult.

The triggers

The high stakes in clearing an examination, especially one that secures a seat in a professional institution or a government job, induces people to adopt, and pay for, unfair means. The social stigma against committing misdeeds has become rather weak. Also, the vulnerability of the legal and policing systems encourages malpractices. Thus, strong demand, coupled with easily available offers of back-door entry and low deterrence, provide a fertile ground for malpractices.

If the testing agencies were zero-tolerant, they could have dealt with the menace. However, conducting examinations is considered a routine bureaucratic exercise, needing no reforms.

What comes out of failed exams is undeserving candidates getting entry into institutions of higher learning and in government jobs. Such entrants are likely to keep indulging in corrupt practices. Worse, they are seen as role models by other aspirants. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the system fails when examinations fail.

The sundry cases of paper leaks and impersonation that spring up in the media are only the tip of the iceberg. Having worked in the UPSC and SSC (Staff Selection Commission), I can say that most major job-related exams fail in stopping malpractices. And some fail in selecting the most suitable candidates, even if there is no malpractice as such.

In many cases of mass-copying and paper leaks, testing agencies and the police approach the problem from narrow angles, and when the matter is taken to the courts, the judiciary too often takes a narrow view; for example, by seeking specific evidence which is typically not easy to collect in such cases.

Politicians seldom bother to find long-term solutions. Usually a probe is ordered, action is taken against a few, a committee of experts is constituted, and sometimes the candidates who suffered are compensated. After a brief lull, another examination fails, and the political class indulges in a new blame game.

The chalta hai (everything goes) attitude of the bureaucracy further erodes the system’s capacity to address corruption in the system. The Supreme Court aptly observed in the NEET paper leak case that even a 0.001 per cent negligence is too much. When the number of candidates runs into lakhs, even this minute error would mean many undeserving candidates qualifying. That begs the question: Are there no practical solutions to curb exam-related malpractices? I will list just two.

It is common knowledge that examinations conducted by the UPSC and SSC, and the JEE and CAT have generally remained malpractice-free. In SSC, JEE and CAT, modern technology has been in use for years now, which has made it difficult for examinees to cheat. Technology helps testing agencies better monitor individuals and processes, and quickly introduce barriers against new methods of malpractice.

An even better way is to have examinations in many tiers, as is done by the UPSC and SSC. Though criminal syndicates can penetrate all levels, the chance of their success go down drastically with each step. A new law can also act as a quick-fix.

However, exam malpractices would go only if governments, testing agencies and the political leadership decide to take the bull by the horns.

The writer is an ex-Member, Staff Selection Commission. He earlier served in the UPSC as Deputy Secretary

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