27 July,2026 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | The Editorial
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Going beyond the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests, the offline and online battles, it is time to get to the crux of the matter, which is exam paper leaks. We are talking about exams in general. For years now, India has suffered this malaise. Question papers have found their way into the hands of a select few. The advent of the digital age means leaks have become somewhat âeasier' as they are happening online.
It is time to look at the pattern of cheating in exams holistically. First, educational institutions must move to ensure cheat-free exams at every level. Teaching students how it is wrong to cheat must begin at school and home. Ingrain these values in them.
This is easier said than done, considering that faculty, certainly not all of them, though, have been involved in some paper leaks themselves.
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill to ensure stricter punishments for paper leaks, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement. News agencies report that the bill outlines 15 illegal acts including leaking question papers, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards.
The clean-up needs a huge effort because cheating, whether it happens at school/college/entrance level exam is so ingrained here, needs a multi-pronged effort to root out. We have seen cheating in police exams too, the very people who are supposed to ensure adherence to the law are cheating to pass in those police exams.
The rot has percolated to the ground. It will take opening up the war on several fronts, ensuring that the generation now values integrity above all, to stamp it out.
