Exam paper leaks - How to restore trust in the Indian education system?

Table of Contents

Theme :-

In March 2018, exam papers of CBSE class X Maths and Class XII Economics leaked an hour before the exams and was shared on whatsapp.
This incident created debates on the Indian education system, loopholes in the examination system and the stress on students.

Possible causes for exam paper leaks :-

Ineffective maintenance of secrecy of exam papers till the exam is conducted.
Not preparing reserve paper increased the damage. If there was reserve paper set, the leaked question could have been replaced by reserve paper when the leak happened.
Lack of strict punishments for these kind of crimes. Even if the culprit is found, the case will be pending in court for several years.
Over-emphasis on marks and board exams. This lead to corruption in the education system.

What needs to be done :-

Instead of assessing a year’s syllabus in just one exam, several exams at multiple intervals will reduce the stress on students and will not create unnecessary demand for exam paper leaks.
As questions in the exams are set in a way that students have to write information from the text books. So, if any question paper is leaked, students who have access to it will definitely be benefited. If questions are analytical and tests students’ creative thinking skills, the damage would be much less.
Technology can be used to send question papers in the last 20 min before the exam directly to schools through email. There question papers can be printed according to the requirement. This will eliminate the leakage of papers at printing presses and storage places.
Even if the traditional method of distributing exam papers is followed, frequently changing the printing presses and storage spaces can decrease the vulnerability of leak.
Strict punishments for the culprits behind exam paper leaks will act as a deterrent and will reduce the chances of such leaks.

Also Read : One sun, one world, one grid

Conclusion :-

There were cases of exam paper leaks in the past too. But the loopholes in the system are not fixed yet. And hence the same thing is happening again and again. Though every examination system is susceptible to leaks, some agencies like UPSC, NTA are handling the process very well. State boards and CBSE have to fix the vulnerable points and should make their examination system foolproof. And this is the right time to analyse the over-emphasis on board exams.

Afterwords :- What is your opinion on this topic? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Subscribe to our blog to read answers to trending GD Topics.