Recently the UP Police Constable Recruitment Exam conducted in four rounds was canceled due to paper leak. At present the Uttar Pradesh government is investigating it. He has assured the students to conduct the examination again within six months. Getting a government job is the dream of millions of youth, to achieve which students study hard, but when the paper gets leaked, their years of hard work go waste. Even the money spent on them by parents goes in vain. The candidates who come from far away places to appear for the examination, their travel and accommodation expenses are wasted. Although governments show seriousness regarding this. Still, their efforts to stop paper leaks are proving inadequate.
The issue here is both intention and policy, which the youth have been searching for for years. Whenever there is an investigation, another paper gets leaked. Even if the governments in the states are from different parties, the system of paper leaks is the same. In the last seven years, papers of more than 70 recruitment examinations have been leaked in different states of the country. Such as UP Power Corporation Limited, B.D. in Uttar Pradesh. The papers of entrance examination, UPTAT and aided school teacher/head teacher recruitment examination were leaked. The recruitment papers of LDC, Constable, Patwari, Librarian, Junior Engineer, Sub Inspector etc. have been leaked in Rajasthan. The recruitment papers of TAT, Chief Servant, Non-Secretary Clerk, Head Clerk, Sub Auditor, Forest Conservator and Junior Clerk of Panchayat Service Selection Board in Gujarat have been leaked.
Apart from this, D.El.Ed Syllabus Annual Exam in Bengal, BPSC Exam conducted by Bihar Public Service Commission, Himachal Pradesh Personnel Selection Commission JOA IT Recruitment Exam, Madhya Pradesh Primary Teacher Eligibility Test, 10th and 12th Board Exam in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh Public Question Papers leaked. Assistant Engineer Recruitment Examination conducted by Hona Service Commission and examination for graduate level posts of Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Board.
Cases have come to light.
This has become a kind of custom in Punjab and Haryana. Because of this, the careers of about 1.5 crore young boys and girls have been affected. Can't they be given a 'guarantee' of not leaking the paper? Not being able to stop paper leaks is a major failure of the respective examination conducting institutions and governments. This is not just a case of irregularities in the examination system but a very heinous crime which has shattered the dreams of millions of youth. India is a country with a huge youth population. Youth also have big dreams. They are hardworking and talented and prepare for these competitive exams by struggling with all the difficulties and obstacles. Firstly, recruitment examinations in the country are not conducted at regular intervals and even when conducted, there is a risk of paper leakage. Some state governments have also made strict laws against the culprits of paper leaks, but despite these laws, paper leaks keep happening. The problem of paper leakage of school board exams is also common.
Recently the Central Government has also implemented the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. There is a provision of three to ten years of jail and heavy fine for those who assist in malpractice in any examination. This law will apply to most of the central examinations conducted by the central government and its testing agencies. However, harsh punishment alone will not be an effective solution to this problem. Institutions like Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) should be created to conduct competitive and recruitment examinations at specific times in the country and declare their results at specific times. Along with this, appointments with political connections in recruitment commissions should be completely stopped. The Examination Commission should have its own printing press. The soft copy of the question paper should be sent directly to the examination centers through code lock one hour before.
Question papers should be printed and distributed to the candidates present at the examination centres. Printing question papers in this way will certainly be a little expensive but the examinations will be secure and leakproof. Similarly, several sets of question papers should also be prepared. To settle paper leak cases within a month, it is necessary to ensure hearing in fast track courts. If any coaching institute is found involved then not only action should be taken against the accused but that coaching institute should also be closed. Hundreds of people are involved in the process from preparing the paper to delivering it to the examination centres. In such a situation, even a weak link under pressure or greed commits a crime like paper leak. Therefore, everyone's responsibility should be fixed from top to bottom. Since every youth is not able to get a government job, today startups and self-employment are growing rapidly in India and many youth are focusing on private jobs.
Still, the joke of paper leak should stop with the students who spend their life preparing for government jobs. Governments should guarantee this. The blame for this paper leak scandal fell on UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board Chairman Renuka Mishra and she was removed from the post by the UP government.
The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police has now arrested seven people from Meerut and Delhi in this paper leak case. According to the police, these alleged culprits had taken Rs 8 to 10 lakh from the students in return for leaking the question paper of constable recruitment in Uttar Pradesh.
When issues like paper leaks come to light, India's reputation at the international level gets damaged as it diminishes the importance of the Indian education system and the degrees awarded by thousands of universities and educational institutions in the country. Along with this, there are many question marks on the standards and credibility of Indians living abroad. Such a big scam is not possible without the connivance of higher officials. There is a need to catch the real culprits instead of small pieces.