An open letter to the Minister of Higher education, Karnataka and Director of PU Board

Dear Sir/ Ma’am

I remember my struggle to get into my dream course engineering back in the day. I had my timetable ready by February on how to approach entrance exams. There were crash courses to attend, sleepless nights to prepare, and some 25 days after 2^nd PU exams, for AIEEE and 27 days for CET. Other exams like COMEDK were somewhere around this time. This is the most important time. Here you needn’t have to worry anymore about writing big answers and preparing essays. It is more like a preparation for T20 world cup after playing a season of Test cricket. You need time and a different approach. All that was based on the assumption that everything would happen on a plan. That is no postpone of exams, no re-exams and no nuisance of any kind. And luckily for me, it worked fine.

But today 6 years after I wrote my PU board exams, when I see at my junior friends who are doing their PU, and who have high ambitions set for their future, the only thing that I feel for them is “Sorry!!!” We disappoint you. Yes, I disappoint them, You disappoint them, and everyone around us disappoints them. I will write about the reason in a while. But before that just read through this.  We have already cooked up the system in the name of reservation, management-merit, rural-urban. It is almost a money game now. They struggle for 2 years very badly aiming to land in the top 1000-2000 CET ranks so that they can get a medical seat, or enroll themselves  In the top engineering college in the state. There are people who struggle aiming to get into IIT’s and AIIMS.  And there are some others who just spend 25 lakhs(That’s what they accept to have paid ) and get a medical seat with 45 to 50% marks. An engineering management seat is sold (Yeah sold!!) for around 1lakh- 2lakh per year based on the college. Now for someone who is ready to spend 25 lakhs, 25 days between exams don’t make a difference. But for the one struggling for a merit seat, every minute is important. I remember my classmates who slept only for 5 hours a day in 2^nd PUC so that they could manage to get more time to study.

And what is happening today? The initial news was that 2 papers leaked, and the board wanted to go for re-exams The students opposed it. They were fine with the betrayal, but they didn’t have time to waste and patience to read the same papers again when the competitive exams which would decide their fate was lining up in days of time. But the board wanted an “ ALL- FAIR” exam. They decided to redo things by conducting the re-exam for the papers which were leaked. But what transformed out was even more shameful and disastrous. The re-exam papers also leaked. And then the government decided to go for a probe. The new revelations by the CID state that all 6 papers of PUC science were leaked. Now whether the board and the government is wishing to conduct re-exams, or going to accept that it was their flaw to be incapable of handling an exam is secondary. But the point of concern for me, and for that matter  any respectful, hardworking individual is what message are we giving to the students? How much more pressure are they experiencing because of some careless and senseless acts of the government and the PU board?

Well, thanks for reading this much. ( IF YOU HAVE HAD THE COURTESY OF DOING SO) I have a few questions in mind for you. Try to answer or justify how are going to handle this.

1. Accept the matter of fact that our students are on back foot and disadvantage compared to students from other states when it comes to preparation time for All sorts of competitive exams. What is the solution that you can/will give them so that they are not affected. We won’t consider it to be your responsibility to give electricity for a student to study!! We too know that we can’t expect so much!! But what is that you are planning to do so that you can help them get an advantage in exams ahead. ( Probably help leak that papers too. That could be an advantage)
2. Till how much more time are you going to keep it uncertain about the action plan to handle the “CRIME” that you have created/help created by leaking papers? Will there be re-exams? Or will it be an open acceptance of the matter that you can’t handle things of this magnitude, and let them prepare for the other exams?
3. What action are you going to take on everyone involved in this scandal ( including you!! Because you can’t run away from responsibilities being in that position). Will it be set of mere suspensions, and judicial enquiries without results? Or is  it going to be another political high drama and game of resignations from you?
4. Why have you not learnt lessons from the exam leaks that have been happening from ages?

I know you can’t and won’t answer. This is why I said we disappoint our youth and juniors. We disappoint them because of our inabilities to create a foolproof system which would ensure that the only thing that the student has to worry is studies and nothing else.

I don’t believe that my responsibility is over just by pointing fingers at you and saying it was your mistake. Well, I won’t do that. I have a few suggestions if you wish to follow in making a foolproof system.

1. Completely automate the system of distribution of question papers avoiding human intervention. All that you need it exam centers with internet connection and printers. Send the soft copy of papers just 30 minutes before the exam and ask the authorities to print it and distribute in the presence of  exam officials.
2. Get in strict laws and seal all the loopholes to eliminate all the possibility of potential leaks happening
3. If you feel you are not capable of doing this, outsource it to some private firms and take a guarantee bond which would make them liable and answerable if leaks of any kind happen.

This is the age of the internet where things can be done in a flash. The only hurdle that I see  is the desire to adapt and to have a foolproof system. The government doesn’t seem to learn from the number of occurrences of the event and doesn’t want to learn. It is not a noble practice to be corrupt, but still we have accepted it and we live with it. But corruption and foul play with our kids and students future is not acceptable. It just doesn’t raise questions about our commitment to making this place a good one for them to live, but also on the credibility of the people we are. Hopefully, this will fully awaken you.

Regards

A pained common man ( You have failed to impress me)  
Readoo India

P:S- Banning WhatsApp is a foolish decision. It just shows that you are unable to stop your first level of leakage but trying to stop the spreading of leaked papers.