Fixing the rot: On the subversion of public examinations and recruitment

Fixing the rot: On the subversion of public examinations and recruitment

There seems (प्रतीत होना, लगना) a recurring (पुनरावर्ती, बार-बार होने वाला) pattern in the examination paper leaks across States

Corruption in public life is often linked to “malfeasance (कदाचार, पद का दुरुपयोग)”, the venality (भ्रष्टाचार, रिश्वतखोरी) of government officials (अधिकारी, सरकारी अधिकारी) in high places taking bribes and misusing their positions to enrich (समृद्ध करना, धनवान बनाना) themselves or their cronies (करीबी सहयोगी, खास साथी). But a more corrosive (संक्षारक, विनाशकारी) variant (प्रकार, भिन्न रूप) that impinges upon public life includes the systematic (व्यवस्थित, सुनियोजित) subversion of public examinations and recruitment. This is because public examinations and teacher recruitment are pathways to creating skilled (कुशल, दक्ष) individuals in a rapidly modernising economy where jobs increasingly (उत्तरोत्तर, बढ़ते हुए) depend on skills and training. Corruption in these processes, which should ideally (perfectly, optimally, in a perfect world; preferably, theoretically, ideally) be done on merit (योग्यता के आधार पर), will erode (क्षीण करना, कमज़ोर करना) India’s ability to fully realise its demographic dividend (जनसांख्यिकीय लाभांश). Be it the National Testing Agency (an autonomous and self-sustained testing organization established by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to conduct efficient, transparent, and international standard tests to assess the competency of candidates for admission to premier higher educational institutions) having to re-conduct the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) (an all-India pre-medical entrance test for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical, dental, and AYUSH courses in government and private institutions in India) for medical undergraduate aspirants, or, the postponement (delay, deferment, rescheduling; putting off, adjournment, suspension) of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (a mandatory qualifying state-level examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) to determine and certify the eligibility of candidates for appointment as teachers across the state) just before its scheduled (planned or appointed for a certain time or date; arranged, planned, timetabled, organized) date (June 28), the malaise (trouble, disorder, disquiet; disease, depression, unhappiness) seems depressingly (sadly, miserably, gloomily; distressingly, dishearteningly, discouragingly) familiar (well-known, recognized, accustomed; common, frequent, ordinary). It is driven (compel, propel, motivate; prompt, push, steer) by a cottage (small-scale, localized, or informal (used contextually as “cottage industry” to denote a widespread unregulated illicit network); unregulated, decentralized, home-based) industry that leaks papers through insider (a person within a group or organization who has access to exclusive information; internal staff, employee, member) networks and targets the vast (huge, extensive, massive; immense, boundless, widespread) coaching ecosystem (a complex network or interconnected system; network, environment) to rake in (earn, make, or collect a large amount of money easily; gather, accumulate, pull in) money from those seeking (try, attempt, aim; search for, look for, pursue) shortcuts (a quicker or easier way of doing something, often illicitly; workaround, quick fix, alternative route) to pass. In the Maharashtra case, the alleged (supposed, presumed, suspected; purported, unproven, questionable) kingpin (a person who controls a large organization or activity, especially an illegal one; mastermind, boss) — a Patna resident suspected (believed to be guilty or involved without conclusive proof; presumed, thought, implicated) of links to (having connections, ties, or relationships with; connected to, associated with, affiliated with) an Odisha paper leak scam in 2024 and even to the NEET scam — reportedly (supposedly, apparently, allegedly; ostensibly, purportedly, reputedly) ran teams from Bihar and Haryana that sought to sell papers to coaching classes.

Eerily (in a strange, frightening, and mysterious way; spookily, creepily, weirdly), a similar template surfaces (emerge, arise, appear; come up, materialize, crop up) in scam after scam. In Gujarat, the alleged mastermind (a person who plans and directs a complex, often illicit, scheme; originator, orchestrator) of the 2023 junior-clerk recruitment exam leak was an employee at a Hyderabad press that printed the paper. In 2024, in Jammu and Kashmir, a printing-press insider and security men were chargesheeted (to file a formal document of accusation against someone in a court of law by law enforcement; indict, accuse, arraign) in the 2022 services board exam leak case. In Rajasthan, the December 2022 teacher-recruitment paper was sold by a serving (currently holding a position or office; acting, current, working) government teacher. The common element (common factor) is the presence of insider networks that have worked out ways to scam (swindle, defraud, cheat; deceive, trick, exploit) the system (the established framework, institutions, or organizational structure; administration, establishment, regime). The vulnerability (weakness, susceptibility, flaw; defenselessness, frailty, loophole) lies (consist, be present, exist; be found, reside, abide) not only in how question papers are distributed, but also in how they are set (formulate, prepare, put together, create, frame), with the repeated (happening again and again; recurring, frequent, constant) involvement (participation, engagement, association; implication, connection) of a select group of experts — many are linked to the coaching ecosystem. This is why the ritual (a custom, routine, or procedure that is regularly followed, often merely as a formality; routine, habit, formality) of hunting for “kingpins” and running performative (done primarily for show or to make an impression rather than for real effect; superficial, ostentatious, artificial) investigations until public attention (the awareness, focus, or interest of the general public; public interest, spotlight, public scrutiny) fades (diminish, fade away, dwindle; decline, wane, disappear) leaves (result in, cause to remain; keep, let remain, abandon) the core problem untouched (unchanged, unaffected, unaddressed; unhandled, unresolved, ignored). Pertinent (relevant, applicable, appropriate; fitting, related, suitable) questions are rarely (seldom, hardly, scarcely; infrequently, uncommonly, almost never) addressed (tackle, deal with, attend to; confront, handle, approach). Is the paper set by the same closed pool (a group of people available for a specific task; group, reserve, panel) of examiners each time? Are their antecedents (a person’s ancestors or family and social background; history, background, record) and commercial links verified? Do the departments that run (manage, administer, operate; direct, oversee, coordinate) these exams scrutinise (examine carefully, inspect, investigate; probe, study, review) examiners for conflicts of interest? Lastly, even if (despite the possibility that, irrespective of whether; granting that, supposing that, albeit) the system undertakes (begin, start, embark on; engage in, take on, initiate) such reforms (improvement, change, restructuring; overhaul, reorganization, modification), it would be incomplete (unfinished, lacking, deficient; partial, wanting, insufficient) without accountability (responsibility, answerability, liability; obligatoriness). Education Ministers — at the Centre and States — must own (take responsibility for, acknowledge, admit; accept, recognize, confess) these failures. When leaks recur (happen again, occur again, repeat; return, reappear, come back) as routinely as (in the same regular, frequent, or customary manner; as normally as, as regularly as, as predictably as) they now do, the Minister who presides over the system should not remain in the post.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.seem (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतीत होना, लगना
English Meaning - appear, look, give the impression of being; look like, have the appearance of.

2.recurring (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पुनरावर्ती, बार-बार होने वाला
English Meaning - happening repeatedly, occurring again and again; repetitive, persistent, frequent.

3.malfeasance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदाचार, पद का दुरुपयोग
English Meaning - wrongdoing, deceit, misconduct; falseness, dishonesty, corruption.

4.venality (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भ्रष्टाचार, रिश्वतखोरी
English Meaning - the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption; corruptness, bribery, graft.

5.official (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकारी, सरकारी अधिकारी
English Meaning - officer, functionary, executive; bureaucrat, dignitary, mandarin.

6.enrich (verb)

Hindi Meaning - समृद्ध करना, धनवान बनाना
English Meaning - to make wealthy or wealthier; build up wealth, profit, aggrandize.

7.crony (noun)

Hindi Meaning - करीबी सहयोगी, खास साथी
English Meaning - close friend, companion, associate; accomplice, ally, sidekick.

8.corrosive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संक्षारक, विनाशकारी
English Meaning - destructive, damaging, harmful; ruinous, consuming, detrimental.

9.variant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकार, भिन्न रूप
English Meaning - variation, form, version.

10.systematic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यवस्थित, सुनियोजित
English Meaning - methodical, structured, organized; routine, orderly, planned.

11.skilled (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कुशल, दक्ष
English Meaning - experienced, trained, qualified; proficient, capable, expert.

12.increasingly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तरोत्तर, बढ़ते हुए
English Meaning - more and more, progressively, to a greater extent; steadily, growingly, continuously.

13.on merit (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - योग्यता के आधार पर
English Meaning - based on one’s ability, quality, or worth rather than external factors; fairly, rightfully, deservedly.

14.erode (verb)

Hindi Meaning - क्षीण करना, कमज़ोर करना
English Meaning - wear away, destroy, undermine; weaken, deteriorate, degrade.

15.demographic dividend (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनसांख्यिकीय लाभांश
English Meaning - a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents; economic growth, youth bulge benefit, workforce advantage.

16.ideally (adverb)

English Meaning - perfectly, optimally, in a perfect world; preferably, theoretically, ideally.

17.rot (noun)

English Meaning - corruption, decay, deterioration; decline, disintegration, degeneration.

18.subversion (noun)

English Meaning - the act of undermining, worsening, or reducing power and authority gradually; sabotage, disruption, undermining.

19.pattern (noun)

English Meaning - a consistent or recurring trend.

20.impinge upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - encroach on, intrude on, infringe on; affect, touch, impact.

21.National Testing Agency (NTA) (organization)

English Meaning - an autonomous and self-sustained testing organization established by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to conduct efficient, transparent, and international standard tests to assess the competency of candidates for admission to premier higher educational institutions.

22.National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) -UG (exam)

English Meaning - an all-India pre-medical entrance test for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical, dental, and AYUSH courses in government and private institutions in India.

23.postponement (noun)

English Meaning - delay, deferment, rescheduling; putting off, adjournment, suspension.

24.Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (examination)

English Meaning - a mandatory qualifying state-level examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) to determine and certify the eligibility of candidates for appointment as teachers across the state.

25.scheduled (adjective)

English Meaning - planned or appointed for a certain time or date; arranged, planned, timetabled, organized.

26.malaise (noun)

English Meaning - trouble, disorder, disquiet; disease, depression, unhappiness.

27.depressingly (adverb)

English Meaning - sadly, miserably, gloomily; distressingly, dishearteningly, discouragingly.

28.familiar (adjective)

English Meaning - well-known, recognized, accustomed; common, frequent, ordinary.

29.drive (verb)

English Meaning - compel, propel, motivate; prompt, push, steer.

30.cottage (adjective)

English Meaning - small-scale, localized, or informal (used contextually as “cottage industry” to denote a widespread unregulated illicit network); unregulated, decentralized, home-based.

31.insider (noun)

English Meaning - a person within a group or organization who has access to exclusive information; internal staff, employee, member.

32.vast (adjective)

English Meaning - huge, extensive, massive; immense, boundless, widespread.

33.ecosystem (noun)

English Meaning - a complex network or interconnected system; network, environment.

34.rake in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - earn, make, or collect a large amount of money easily; gather, accumulate, pull in.

35.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, attempt, aim; search for, look for, pursue.

36.shortcut (noun)

English Meaning - a quicker or easier way of doing something, often illicitly; workaround, quick fix, alternative route.

37.alleged (adjective)

English Meaning - supposed, presumed, suspected; purported, unproven, questionable.

38.kingpin (noun)

English Meaning - a person who controls a large organization or activity, especially an illegal one; mastermind, boss.

39.suspected (adjective)

English Meaning - believed to be guilty or involved without conclusive proof; presumed, thought, implicated.

40.of links to (phrase)

English Meaning - having connections, ties, or relationships with; connected to, associated with, affiliated with.

41.reportedly (adverb)

English Meaning - supposedly, apparently, allegedly; ostensibly, purportedly, reputedly.

42.eerily (adverb)

English Meaning - in a strange, frightening, and mysterious way; spookily, creepily, weirdly.

43.surface (verb)

English Meaning - emerge, arise, appear; come up, materialize, crop up.

44.mastermind (noun)

English Meaning - a person who plans and directs a complex, often illicit, scheme; originator, orchestrator.

45.chargesheet (verb)

English Meaning - to file a formal document of accusation against someone in a court of law by law enforcement; indict, accuse, arraign.

46.serving (adjective)

English Meaning - currently holding a position or office; acting, current, working.

47.common element (noun)

English Meaning - common factor.

48.work out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - devise, formulate, figure out; develop, plan, construct.

49.scam (verb)

English Meaning - swindle, defraud, cheat; deceive, trick, exploit.

50.the system (noun)

English Meaning - the established framework, institutions, or organizational structure; administration, establishment, regime.

51.vulnerability (noun)

English Meaning - weakness, susceptibility, flaw; defenselessness, frailty, loophole.

52.lie (verb)

English Meaning - consist, be present, exist; be found, reside, abide.

53.set (verb)

English Meaning - formulate, prepare, put together, create, frame.

54.repeated (adjective)

English Meaning - happening again and again; recurring, frequent, constant.

55.involvement (noun)

English Meaning - participation, engagement, association; implication, connection.

56.ritual (noun)

English Meaning - a custom, routine, or procedure that is regularly followed, often merely as a formality; routine, habit, formality.

57.hunt for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - search for, look for, seek; pursue, track down, chase.

58.performative (adjective)

English Meaning - done primarily for show or to make an impression rather than for real effect; superficial, ostentatious, artificial.

59.public attention (noun)

English Meaning - the awareness, focus, or interest of the general public; public interest, spotlight, public scrutiny.

60.fade (verb)

English Meaning - diminish, fade away, dwindle; decline, wane, disappear.

61.leave (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause to remain; keep, let remain, abandon.

62.untouched (adjective)

English Meaning - unchanged, unaffected, unaddressed; unhandled, unresolved, ignored.

63.pertinent (adjective)

English Meaning - relevant, applicable, appropriate; fitting, related, suitable.

64.rarely (adverb)

English Meaning - seldom, hardly, scarcely; infrequently, uncommonly, almost never.

65.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to; confront, handle, approach.

66.pool (noun)

English Meaning - a group of people available for a specific task; group, reserve, panel.

67.antecedent (noun)

English Meaning - a person’s ancestors or family and social background; history, background, record.

68.run (verb)

English Meaning - manage, administer, operate; direct, oversee, coordinate.

69.scrutinise (verb)

English Meaning - examine carefully, inspect, investigate; probe, study, review.

70.conflict of interest (noun)

English Meaning - a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt their motivation or decision-making; clash of loyalties.

71.even if (phrase)

English Meaning - despite the possibility that, irrespective of whether; granting that, supposing that, albeit.

72.undertake (verb)

English Meaning - begin, start, embark on; engage in, take on, initiate.

73.reform (noun)

English Meaning - improvement, change, restructuring; overhaul, reorganization, modification.

74.incomplete (adjective)

English Meaning - unfinished, lacking, deficient; partial, wanting, insufficient.

75.accountability (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, answerability, liability; obligatoriness.

76.own (verb)

English Meaning - take responsibility for, acknowledge, admit; accept, recognize, confess.

77.recur (verb)

English Meaning - happen again, occur again, repeat; return, reappear, come back.

78.as routinely as (phrase)

English Meaning - in the same regular, frequent, or customary manner; as normally as, as regularly as, as predictably as.

79.preside over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be in charge of, be responsible for, manage; head, direct, oversee.