Tuhin A. Sinha
THE NEET PAPER leak has exposed the stark difference in intent between the government and the opposition. While the Modi government has shown the intent to take the challenge head on, the opposition, particularly the Rashtriya Janata Dal, appears an enabler to the education mafia.
College admissions in India used to be a nightmare: the endless forms to fill, the gruelling exams to sit through, the frantic travel from state to state―all in a desperate bid to secure entry into a prestigious institution. This experience was not only financially draining, but emotionally excruciating.
The promise of a centralised admission process came as a beacon of hope. Imagine just one exam, a common merit list and seamless admissions across the country. Such a system, which eventually took the form of the National Testing Agency in 2018, eased the burden on students and parents, offering them the best opportunities nationwide.
Having said that, if the NTA is found lagging in its job, time has come to reform it. The NEET paper leak and the UGC-NET cancellation, among other lapses, are unpardonable. That is why the Modi government has taken decisive corrective measures.
First and foremost, the government sacked the NTA director general. Second, to ensure transparency and a tangible revamp, the ministry of education constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of former ISRO chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan. Third, the CBI has been entrusted with investigating alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. The fact that a CBI team investigating the case was attacked in Nawada, Bihar, raises questions over the political kingpins of this case.
Equally important was the prompt notification of the Public Examination Act, which imposes severe penalties for unfair practices and paper leaks, further demonstrating the government’s resolve.
While the government’s intent is clear, the NEET paper leak has once again exposed the nexus between the education mafia and certain political parties. This year’s paper leak has a strong Bihar imprint and it seems to be the handiwork of the RJD. The economic offences wing in Bihar has been probing Preetam Kumar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary, who apparently acted as facilitator for Sikandar Yaduvendra, the key accused in the case. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi tried to mislead the country through a video of another student, Ayushi Yadav, whose claims and documents were found to be incorrect by the Allahabad High Court.
India’s opposition, which has vilified the government ad nauseam over the issue, has no answers for Tejashwi’s proximity with the key accused.
Some of India’s political parties have been hand in glove with the education mafia for a very long time. While the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh had brought the stringent Anti-copying Act in 1992 when Rajnath Singh was education minister, the Samajwadi Party scrapped it in 2013.
Again, if one goes by the exam leak data from different states in the last five years, Rajasthan under Ashok Gehlot reported five major leaks, while UP reported just one. While exam leak should never be politicised as it has occurred in states ruled by both BJP and the opposition, why does the opposition never feel responsible towards addressing the scourge in states they rule?
Sinha is an author and a national spokesperson for the BJP.