Wrong Answer, Govts – Repeated exam paper leaks should tell authorities that technology not punishment is the cure

Source: The post is based on the article “Wrong Answer, Govts – Repeated exam paper leaks should tell authorities that technology not punishment is the cure” published in The Times of India on 17th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.

Relevance: About government recruitment exams.

News: Recently, Uttarakhand witnessed protests against corruption in government recruitment exams. The government in response promulgated an ordinance for “control and prevention of unfair means in recruitment”.

Accordingly, the first case was registered under the new law, where offences are non-bailable, fines go up to Rs 10 crore, and jail terms up to life imprisonment.

What are the other issues with government recruitment exams?

Rajasthan: Last year, the state government promulgated a stricter bill to disincentivise corruption in government recruitment exams. However, the bill does not address the ineffectual surveillance to prevent paper leaks.

West Bengal: The malpractices in the state highlighted the demand-supply mismatch and exploitation in the government ecosystem.

Uttarakhand: The aspirants are complaining that irregularities have spread from exams conducted by the state’s Subordinate Services Selection Commission to those conducted by its Public Service Commission.

What are the reasons behind the issues in government recruitment exams?

The central challenge for the issues is a) Administrative challenges in long-identified people management across vast student populations and very porous channels, b) The pen-and-paper mode is too easy to sabotage through digital channels.

To stop irregularities in government recruitment exams, Governments need to work on upgrading exam technologies instead of formulating strict laws.