It’s leaking time in India. Everything, starting from Data to question papers, have been leaked. It seems that now every Indian is under surveillance round the clock. Forget about general information like profiles, academic qualifications, etc. even your income, ideology, particular choices, all are known to some people who have turned the gift of information technology into a nasty business. Innocent people are being trapped by these cartels. The crime is as dangerous as terrorism. So a worldwide battle should be declared against these white-collar criminals as they are not only ruining our lives, but also targeting the future of our kids too. The Union Government has promised tough action against the violators. But given their track record against cyber crimes one can only pray for divine intervention to maintain individual privacy.
How serious the threat is can be judged from the fact that nearly 28 lakh students all over the country have now been affected by the paper leak. All these students are about to enter into a new life after clearing the Board examinations. All of them struggled hard to cross the first major hurdle of their lives. But the paper leaks have left them stranded in an uncertain future. Following the order of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) they will have to appear for re-examination. But will the students be able to write their papers with the same zeal and intent as they did before the exams were rescheduled? What will happen to their preparations for various entrance examinations scheduled soon after the board examinations are over? How will the board compensate students who will not do well in the retest for reasons beyond their control? This point needs to be elaborated. Suppose a student does well in the examination which has been nullified. But not so well in the examination followed after the paper leak. In such a case what grade will the student be given? In case the student gets a lower grade, this will jeopardise his or her chances of getting admitted into a reputed educational institution.
All these questions should be answered by CBSE. Simply arresting a few people will not be enough to provide justice to the affected students. Each and every person, who has a link to this crime, should be awarded exemplary punishment. Besides, accountability should be fixed. Questions should be answered on what provoked CBSE to make a departure from its earlier practices this year? Why was the practice of preparing different question sets for different regions was abolished? Why did the question papers reach examination centres one day in advance instead of usual procedure of delivering question papers an hour before the examination? Preliminary investigation has shown that these two changes are mainly responsible for the leaks. But one should realise that such major changes in procedure cannot be done at lower level. Such decisions must have the sanctions of higher ups. Investigative agencies should look into who mooted these changes and why? Only then, the black sheeps inside CBSE can be identified. Last but not the least, chairpersons and other important members of the board should be asked to resign from their posts once the dust is settled, because they have failed to perform their duties. Putting the future of students at stake is no small crime as it will affect the future of the nation too.
