India’s education minister resigned after several protest-filled weeks which saw student demonstrations in multiple states and brought the issue of regular exam paper leaks to the national level. This is a rare and big give-in by the government against the demands of a younger crowd who say that their future prospects have been sabotaged many times by an exam system they do. As soon as the news spread that the main question papers of various competitive exams had been leaked and were made available to students at the very least even before the scheduled exam, the protests immediately began. This is a repeat of a series of such events that happen quite often at these high-level exams. In India, where entrance exams mainly determine your chances of medical college, engineering institute, government job, and even your social mobility, one has to only suspect unfair practices to face the heavy consequences.
Masses of young people joined hands walking in the streets, some even with signs showing the long hours spent in the preparation, pressure put by the family expecting good results, and disappointment at In reality the system no longer guarantees that hard work brings a fair chance. It was really just the students from one place who started it. Different students came together from various locations, cultural milieu, and political views, united by their unhappiness. Thanks to the social media, their calls soon became stronger – the individual complaints merged into a joint push for responsibility. The protest so intense that it was almost impossible for the government to overlook it and consider it as just a case of dissatisfaction typical of these protests. News and video clips of students in silent protest, students preventing traffic as well as groups of students in front of an office were viral. Some demonstrations included parents and that was one of the reasons for the emotional intensity of these protests. Many families have put in the effort of paying coaching classes, moving to the major education centers, and years of sacrifices so that the feeling of being betrayed comes very acutely.
The resigning of the minister came after rising pressure, even among the members of the political party to which the government belongs. The announcement of ministers’ resignation came due to a sudden surge, which was both inside the ruling party and outside as well
Though an explanation was released by the official sources describing the decision as a personal move made in order not to damage the institution’s integrity. Though, none of the spectators thought the issue was unrelated to the degree of public anger. People believe that the move serves the purpose of de-escalating the situation and showing that student matters are seriously considered. Though, resignation of the minister alone cannot solve the deeper problems of examination system in India that are closely tied to the aspects of security, transparency, and unequal distribution of resources. Private coaching centers flourish due to the highly-stress-filled nature of the academic competition where many students are often unable to access the resources of coaching. Paper leak not only weakens confidence in the integrity of a particular exam, but also in the general belief that education is a good gateway through which one can achieve a better future.
Protestors have mixed feelings that there is less anger than there might have been but also that the situation is not yet under control to be fully relieved. Their main demand has shifted to structural changes like better ways of handling examination paper, independent monitoring, faster investigations into the cases of corruption, and proper disclosure of the findings when things go wrong. And, there is the issue of mental health, which these protesters highlight as a serious consequence of the current structure where the results of one high-stakes examination are so critical and are considered to determine one’s future.
