Need of the hour is to support the students who have to appear for re-examinations

The Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE's) order for a re-examination following revelations of question paper leaks for Class X (Mathematics) and Class XII (Economics) exams has sent the students, teachers, schools and parents into a tizzy. Beyond just demoralizing and discouraging the students, the goings-on have been exceedingly traumatic for them. Students who had just a couple of days ago heaved a sigh of relief having put in their best efforts to grapple with two of the most challenging subjects and were surely looking forward to de-stressing and having some fun at the end of a long and stressful Board year now have yet another examination to sit for. The stress that students and all stakeholders undergo during a Board examination is tremendous. The systematic failures in the education sector, which is exactly what the latest question paper leaks confirm reflect, are a national shame.

For no fault of theirs, millions of students will have to appear for the re-tests. Careers are at stake. The situation is particularly precarious for those students of Class XII who not only have to appear for more competitive examinations but whose future is dependent on the results to the board exams, which if delayed, can have an adverse impact on their admission to colleges of their choice in India and abroad. Besides, the probability is high that the re-examination dates may coincide with some or the other examination dates. The CBSE, of course, had no choice but to promptly order a re-examination instead of being reluctant to take this tough but necessary decision. But make no mistake about it, what is at stake is the credibility of the very institution itself. However, it would not be justified to blame only the CBSE for the paper leak. looked at logically, who gains by such breachesIJ Is it the CBSE or those mafias which make crores of rupees by corrupting individuals in the system and, of course, the handful of entitled students (and in some cases their parents too) who would use such unfair means to gain an advantage over the majority of honest, hardworking students. In fact, the paper-leak industry is a lucrative business because there exists a vast market for it. The use of social networking websites and digital platforms has made the task of disseminating leaked question papers easier, unfortunately.

The Government, for its part, must wake up the decades-old neglect by successive administrations of the education system. The proposed national testing authority which would be responsible for conducting nationwide school-leaving examinations needs to be put in place, now; not tomorrow or day after. Simultaneously, societal pressure to ensure the adage 'cheaters never prosper' becomes a reality must be kept up.  The credibility of entire education system is in the crosshairs - remember, the latest question paper leaks are the ones officially admitted; rumors of paper leaks   have hounded the Board examinations for long. There exists a deep-rooted culture of cheating and complicity in the Indian education sector be it at the primary, secondary and higher secondary levels or for that matter in undergraduate admission tests. The CBSE and other education boards have neither the competence nor the wherewithal to ensure a comprehensive, above-board and rigorous testing regime. As for who is responsible for the leaks, it is now up to the police to investigate expeditiously and fairly as an FIR has been lodged and an arrest made. The guilty must be made an example of after a trial that ought to have daily hearings. In such testing times, the need of the hour is to support the students who have to appear for the re-examination in all possible ways and avoid playing a blame-game.