The infirmities in India’s examination systems are being exposed repeatedly. The edifice of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate revealed gaping holes — emblematic of massive irregularities, including paper leaks and embedded corruption. It had to be postponed and then retaken, inconveniencing innumerable students: some even took their own lives as a result of the stress. Now, the Teacher Eligibility Test in Maharashtra has had to be postponed after police detected yet another instance of question papers being leaked. The outrage is understandable. Students and now teachers are being left in the lurch by indifferent and inefficient — corrupt too? — examination authorities at both national and state levels. Does the government truly care about the plight of the affected citizens?
That answer is unclear. While extending his felicitations to the Union education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan — in the eye of the storm for the bunglings in educational examinations — on his birthday, the prime minister extolled the former’s role in implementing the National Education Policy. Was this Narendra Modi’s way of indicating that his government stood by Mr Pradhan despite his failings? The message could be mixed; there are whispers that Mr Pradhan may be shown the door in a cabinet reshuffle that, the grapevine suggests, is in the works. In the meantime, the Opposition is pulling out all the stops to mobilise public opinion on the matter. The Cockroach Janta Party’s protests against Mr Pradhan continue. Farmer organisations and the activist, Sonam Wangchuk, have lent their support to the cause, with Mr Wangchuk beginning a hunger strike. The Congress’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ initiative seeks to begin a nationwide movement — Calcutta, reportedly, figures in the party’s plans as an important site in this endeavour. What would be crucial for a fragmented, disoriented Opposition is to speak in one voice on the issue. This implies two things. Not only should the Congress set aside the temptation to score electoral points and strive to rope in the other Opposition parties to lend visibility to the movement but the Opposition must also find ways of coordinating with civil society organisations and other apolitical stakeholders to ensure that its message reaches the people. This point of contact — between people and political outfits — remains essential in a democracy.