In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi published a book titled Exam Warriors. It was meant to help young folks cope with the stress of examinations. It was full of ‘generic advice’ as my friend, unfortunate enough to have browsed through it, summed up. I was, however, very struck by the semiotics of the title. Exam. Warriors. Why were students being egged on as ‘warriors’? Why was an exam being framed as a war?
The current government has landed itself in a difficult spot even before the 18th Lok Sabha convened in the new Parliament building. In the eye of the storm is the controversy around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET, which is conducted for admission into undergraduate medical programs. It is one of the biggest entrance exams in India.
Around 24 lakh aspirants appeared for the exam in which the question paper was found to be allegedly leaked. Since then, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is supposed to be conducting the exam, has come under heavy scrutiny. The NEET-PG exam has been postponed, the UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test) has been cancelled, and the NTA chief has been sacked.
This is not a one-off case. Exam leaks have been becoming more rampant in the past few years. From state board exam papers to competitive exams meant to hire teachers, forest guards, clerks, talatis, police constables, etc, all have seen major leaks. In the midst of all this, has anyone thought about the students, what their mindset is, and how they get affected by such upheavals? How does one make sense of this?