The unfriendly examination procedures
Sanjay Chaturvedi
The effort to check the use of unfair means in examination is going to some funny end. The recent experience of some of the students that appeared in competitive exams shows that the bodies conducting examination has almost lost their confidence to check the cheating in examinations just by the capabilities their invigilators have. One of the students appearing in the preliminary examination of Civil Services was not allowed to take with him even the wallet he was carrying. Just imagine how he would have reached the examination hall (examiners should think) and how he is supposed to go back, if not carrying wallet. The students were not even allowed to take water bottle with them as they were supposed to get water inside the examination hall. Later, it was learnt that they were supposed to go outside the room to get the water. This was the situation in the examination of the future administrators of the country. If the people at top are not able to understand the value of about three minutes wasted by the student in fetching the water by leaving his/her seat to have a glass of water, where the country is destined can be well assessed.
In another example, being a journalist I went through an examination center at Sai Mandir School in Faridabad. The staff deputed by the school was dealing with the grown up students appearing for SSC examination in such a Hitler like fashion that could not be explained. The students were, here too, asked to leave all their belongings outside of the premises. Where could these poor fellows be supposed to leave their belongings? Going one step further, the candidates were asked to shell out their waist belt too outside the premises. Many of the young boys were seen holding their trousers while entering examination center only because they were used to wear trousers with belts only.
Further investigation revealed more surprising facts. The SSC examination was an online examination, removing any possibility of a cheating, scheduled for 75 minutes in which the candidates were supposed to answer 100 questions. Who the hell would be getting an opportunity to cheat in so much pressure of examination? There are questions not only the invigilation standards but also on the utility of CCTV cameras installed inside the examination hall. The students were warned that they are under CCTV surveillance and should not try to cheat. Then what is the fun of putting them under so much of pressure even before entering the examination hall. I believe that the environment of examination hall should be so friendly that the candidates, already in pressure of examination, coming all the way from long distances, facing blunt of wrong policies such as caste based reservations and many more, should be treated well by the officials at the examination center. All the pressures discussed above are superseded by the pressure they have to face at the examination center. We have to recheck the direction we are heading towards. Are we not punishing the next generation for the crime they have not committed? After all this is the next gen of all of us. It may be mine or some other person’s son or daughter. But at the end they all are going to carve the future of this nation, this world and the humanity. Why are we losing our confidence to check cheating and unfair means at our own capabilities is the big question?
