The recent CBSE paper leak has created a tumult across the country. Even though Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javedkar, hinted on an efficient leak-proof method for conducting board examinations, students and parents have been restless over the alleged repeated nature of incidents lately. The joy of concluding an examination that takes away our sleep at night was momentary and students determined to make it through couldn’t be more agitated. To top it all, CBSE’s leniency in acknowledging the gravity of such hazardous situation was astonishing to most as it took no serious immediate measure against the leak. The idea of reappearing for Economics and Mathematics paper was extremely disappointing for students.
Throwing light into the discussion, the biggest problem – as some experts feel – is the involvement of outsourcing agencies instead of a single body system that takes over the authority to take extra precautions. Involvement of outside agencies leads to malpractices. Also, the regulators have been showing a tolerating behavior against the demand for protection from such incidents, a good example being some of the unattended incidents of similar nature from the past. Paper leak or cheating cases are not only limited to the students’ problems but they indicate huge financial losses for the government too, as they struggle to carry on the task of conducting such examinations across a country as vast as India.
Experts feel, although the appropriate technology could cost in crores, yet they could be a good align for stringent laws. Making these examinations completely online could be another answer to the problem. In this kind of system, somebody drafts the question paper initially and then it is uploaded, avoiding any sort of intrusion. Too many people are generally involved in the current system of question papers reaching their respective centers. Hence, the risk definitely increases. Here, online examinations could be perfect in avoiding all these processes as secured servers are used for storing. But obviously, one has to avoid any kind of technical flaw that might give space for similar incidents to happen.
The University of Mumbai has set an excellent example with its tactful use of technology. A facial-recognition scan is compulsory before the question paper can be downloaded online. And CCTV cameras have been installed in all rooms for tracking the entire process. This also helps in establishing a psycho-analysis of the students so that anyone with unfair plans could be identified and regulated with the help of their body language and facial movements. CCTVs are a constant step towards scoring a strong security channel for regulation. Such technological advancements bring transparency into the picture and lessen the threats of cheating. Biometric machines are a good way to keep a check on big exam rackets too. However, even in the era of modern technology, it is advisable to keep few things as hard-copies as with these, any sort of technology might simply fail due to hacking possibilities. Like scanning the question paper could open ways for smart hackers. Precaution against such must be taken. Kenya’s Education Ministry team has been highly known for advancing their technological capacity. They have not only provided tight security to storage houses but they are also using water bar codes to detect if duplicates of question papers have been made.
It’s time that we adapt to smart technologies and implement them soon. More than students’ benefits, this would be a great step towards saving of the credibility of our system.
