This refers to the editorial, “Ahead of the cheaters” (June 19). It is unfortunate that thousands of honest students will have to re-take the All India Pre-Medical Test by going through, yet again, the gruelling exercise. I completely agree with your suggestions on installing mobile phone-jammers and metal detectors at examination centres to ensure fair conduct of examinations. But that will only solve a part of the problem. And, even if seats in these prestigious courses are increased, it may not change the nature of the game. We have recently seen the case of a famous Delhi college which has increased the cut-off for its English course at 99 per cent. We can thus imagine the kind of pressure students and their parents have to go through. A sense of worthlessness develops in students if they do not qualify for a college of their choice. The need of the hour is to counsel our children and make them feel worthy. Finally, we need to move on from an over-emphasis on the value of degrees, as skill-set plays an equally critical role in the shaping of one’s career in the long term.
