- India should eliminate printed exam papers to end leaks, says Nandan Nilekani
- He proposes a digital question bank to generate papers just before exams start
- Nilekani supports expanding computer-based testing at 1.5 lakh potential centers
India should move away from printed question papers altogether if it wants to end the leaks that have repeatedly derailed competitive and recruitment exams, according to Nandan Nilekani, who heads the government's panel on exam reforms.
Speaking at Bloomberg's New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Nilekani argued that the physical paper is the core of the problem. “The moment you have a question paper, it becomes an economic incentive for that to be sold,” he said.
His proposal is to build a large digital repository of questions and use technology to assemble each exam paper only shortly before the test begins, leaving far less time and opportunity for it to be leaked. He also pushed for a wider move to computer-based testing, conducted through a network of designated exam centres.
Nilekani said India already has roughly 1.5 lakh locations that could potentially be used to run such a system.
The Infosys co-founder was appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July to lead a high-level committee on overhauling the examination system, following a mass agitation over the NEET exam paper leak, which affected medical course aspirants across India. The student-led protest, which was one of the largest the country has seen in years, had led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The committee has not yet submitted its report. However, Nilekani indicated that its recommendations are likely to find support at the top. “The prime minister is very keen to implement our suggestions,” he said.
Nilekani has frequently been called upon to tackle large-scale public challenges. Beyond co-founding Infosys, he was the driving force behind Aadhaar, the world's largest biometric identity programme, and played a key role in building the infrastructure behind India's digital payments boom.
ALSO READ: 'Never Undermined Youth Voice': FM Nirmala Sitharaman On CJP Protests, Exam Leaks
Notably, the NEET-UG exam, taken on May 3 by more than 22 lakh candidates seeking admission to medical and dental courses, was scrapped on May 12 after investigators found that a “guess paper” circulated beforehand overlapped heavily with the actual questions. The CBI took charge of the probe the same day, and its arrests have included a biology lecturer who sat on the NTA's paper-setting committee. A re-test was conducted on June 21.
Protests that started at Jantar Mantar on June 5 soon spread nationwide, led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party, and Pradhan quit the Union Cabinet on July 25.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.