Now that the Parliament has passed a stringent law to curb exam paper leaks, it is going to be an Act once the President gives her assent.
With a strong law in place, it is the Nandan Nilekani-led task force which will have to suggest how to reform the exam system. Though both Houses of Parliament debated the bill at length, no concrete suggestions came from members on how to set up a trusted and transparent examination system.
I have gone through some interesting details about China’s Gaokao examination system. This exam for undergraduate college admissions is held every year in June in which 1.3 crore candidates appear.
Nearly 500 teachers are selected to prepare question paper sets for the Gaokao exam. They are kept locked inside a building for 40 days. Even the security staff and cooks are also locked inside that building. No phones are allowed.
State secret level security is provided for transportation of question papers. Every transport vehicle, with police escort, is tracked through a GPS device.
Several Chinese companies provide free taxi rides for students during the exam. Some restaurants provide free lunch and dinner to students, while some hotels provide free beds.
An exam-like atmosphere is created throughout the nation for three to four days. Factories are kept closed so that the decibel levels can be kept low. Festivals and concerts are prohibited, and stringent norms are applied for use of loudspeakers.
Coaching centres are regulated to ensure paper leaks do not take place. Coaching centres are asked not to insert ads in newspapers and other media about past rankings of their students. They are disallowed to engage in any commercial marketing campaign during this period.
The objective is to ensure coaching centres do not put students under undue pressure for their own commercial exploitation. A real-time intelligence surveillance system is activated, and an AI-powered system is used to track any unusual or uncommon movements.
In India, we have a multi-layered network for exams like NEET, JEE and CUET exams. These are conducted separately, at different times and in a different manner.
I think the Nandan Nilekani-led task force could weigh the pros and cons of the Chinese Gaokao examination system.
China has a huge population of students who sit for exams. We should try to evolve our own system so that others can follow.
How govt exchequer was being looted in Bengal?
The seizure of Rs 28.5 crore cash and 15 kg gold from the home of a retired government bus driver in Birbhum, West Bengal, has shocked one and all. The ex-driver Minar Mondal is a distant relative of local stone crusher trader Tulu Mondal, whose real name is Mohammed Najibuddin.
Tulu Mondal is absconding. There are reports that he has fled the country. He is said to be closely associated with former Trinamool strongman Anubrata Mondal.
The seizure of cash and gold is clear evidence of the loot that was going on during Mamata Banerjee’s regime.
Minar Mondal told police that the cash and gold belonged to Tulu Mondal. Anubrata Mondal has left TMC to join Ritabrata Banerjee’s group, and he is presently on bail after being arrested in a cattle smuggling case.
Nearly 25 years ago, Tulu Mondal used to have a meagre income through home tuitions. In 2014, he came in contact with TMC leader Anubrata Mondal and his star began to shine.
The TMC leader wangled a government contract for collecting mining revenue for Tulu Mondal in 2016. Tulu became a millionaire, and he held a big wedding for his daughter, in which more than Rs 100 crore was spent.
The allegation is that Tulu Mondal used to give fake revenue receipts to stone crushers and pocket the money.
Two points need to be taken note of.
One, those involved in corruption, extortion like ‘tolabazi’ and loot of the government exchequer, change party once a new government comes to power.
Anubrata Mondal did the same. After Mamata lost the elections, he crossed over to the breakaway group headed by Ritabrata Banerjee.
But this has not helped him either. Police is conducting raids on people closely associated with him.
Two, when Mamata Banerjee was in power, only Rs 19 lakh was being collected as mining revenue daily in Birbhum. After the government changed, the daily mining lease collection has gone up to Rs 83 crore.
This clearly shows Tulu Mondal was cornering more than 99 per cent of mining revenue and was depositing only 0.25 per cent in the government treasury.
During Mamata’s rule, a system had evolved on how to loot the exchequer. Money which was supposed to be deposited in the state treasury was going into the pockets of mafia leaders. There was open licence to loot. Had the government not changed, this type of ‘tolabazi’ would have continued.
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