How did exam paper leaks in the Hindi heartland become one of the top poll issues, and what does it say about India’s young demography?
The 2024 Lok Sabha election results have thrown up several issues to be decoded around social engineering experiments steered by political parties. It is a classic case study of how the often mundane agendas of education and employment for the young can become surprising centrepieces of politics.
Exam paper leaks and scams in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, among other states, have been a key concern for young voters in the age group of 18-25. An investigation by The Indian Express (‘The big all India exam leak’, February 6) bears this out as 41 paper leaks over the last five years in 15 states affected 1.4 crore job seekers who had applied for over one lakh vacancies. Why this translated into angst and disappointment among the young voters needs to be understood, especially as exams continue to get cancelled and recruitment for state-level government jobs is postponed.
Large-scale examinations, conducted through standardised testing, are often considered to be a reliable mechanism in the educational framework. Globally, the model is known for its efficacy in saving time and administering tests through common rubrics in entry to higher education institutions. The well-known Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) are also critiqued for testing individual knowledge within a limited curriculum and rote learning.
Without much thought, the standardised testing model is replicated in recruitment processes for its ability to examine (and eliminate) large numbers of candidates in a specific span of time. The standardised exam, unlike any other testing procedure, locates the individual within a massive cohort that may be preparing differently, but appears and competes together for a given number of positions. For jobs ranging from entry-level positions such as data operator to teaching in schools and colleges, this is a common recruitment method used by the state public service commissions. The preparation for aspirants coming from remote rural backgrounds and marginalised castes, however, comes with the pressure of debts undertaken to pay fees of applications, coaching centres and computer training centres and rent.
The gruelling making of a dream takes a minute to turn into failure with the news of question paper leaks and exam cancellation.
Sample this: In UP itself, three major competitive exams for government jobs were hit by question paper leaks in 2024. The latest in this list was the UP police constable recruitment exam in February, in which over 48 lakh candidates appeared. One must not overlook the outrage brewing among young aspirants which is said to have had the biggest impact on the BJP’s poll prospects in the state. The INDIA bloc neatly tapped into the looming uncertainty among the youth when it announced fast-track courts and monetary compensation to aspirants. In Rajasthan, question paper leaks for recruitment exams remain a rampant problem, occurring with alarming frequency. With over 12 paper leaks during the Congress tenure in the state, its impact on the state’s legislative elections in December 2023 was palpable.
For each paper leak scandal, the question to be asked is: What must be the compensation for years of labour, exorbitant financial cost, and the emotional toll incurred by lakhs of candidates who pin all their hopes on the exam? Beneath this question is also the fatigue of reappearing for the exams and the fear of a new generation of aspirants joining the queue as exams get cancelled.
The time and dreams spent by young aspirants to crack recruitment exams are irreplaceable. These exams are also their shot at generational mobility by securing a government job. We must also take into consideration the extensive planning that goes into exam preparation — with migration to cities to attend coaching classes, taking up jobs that do not match educational qualifications and skills, and arranging alternative means of sustenance.
The inaction and lack of appropriate measures to curb the leaks are compounded by anxiety and disappointment among youth. With multiple shifts and the involvement of a nexus of commercial players, including coaching centres, printing presses, and consulting agencies, the absence of a robust and transparent mechanism to conduct exams is a problem that must be taken seriously. Even after passing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) 2024, the government ought to ask whether deploying special task forces to investigate the organised use of unfair means in examinations is constructive. The cancellation of recruitment procedures has meant a spiralling of crises in the already scarce job market.
Perhaps, having its ears to the ground could have helped the BJP. Urban “influencers” gathering in New Delhi did not help placate the young voters. And don’t forget, the young voter base was credited for the BJP’s landslide victories in 2014 and 2019. In the 2024 elections, education, employment and social justice triumphed over the rhetoric of the temple and the communal divide. This is the pareeksha pe charcha the youth needed.
The writer is a sociologist and educator. She teaches at IIT Delhi
