Identified Factors in Paper Leaks
- Coaching Centres:
- Central hubs for scouting potential candidates and paper solvers.
- Key locations where those involved in leaks often meet or have associations.
- Involvement of Exam Centre Employees:
- Facilitate last-minute changes in exam centres.
- Directly aid in accessing and tampering with question papers.
- Last-Minute Exam Centre Changes:
- Provide logistical support for breaking into strongrooms holding question papers.
- Despite official claims of no centre changes, unauthorized changes were facilitated.
Investigations and Findings
- Committees and Agencies:
- Formed by the Centre to probe irregularities in NEET-UG, UGC NET, and CSIR UGC NET.
- Multiple inspections revealed common patterns of misconduct centered around coaching centres.
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):
- Arrested 36 individuals, including masterminds, solvers, and logistics arrangers.
- Found exam centre employees in connivance with kingpins to access and leak question papers.
Notable Incidents and Uproar
- NEET-UG 2024:
- Conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres across 571 cities.
- Over 23 lakh students appeared.
- Results on June 4 led to an uproar due to inflated marks and unprecedented perfect scores, sparking allegations of leaks.
- CSIR UGC NET Exam:
- Meerut (UP) exam centre compromised during July 26 conduct.
- UP STF arrested a gang using Any Desk Remote Access tool, including three TCS employees.
Reforms and Recommendations
- Review and Rework Mechanism:
- NTA needs to revamp the entire exam conducting process.
- Implement foolproof measures for exam centres.
- Increase human and technical surveillance to prevent future leaks.
- Enhanced Surveillance:
- Continuous monitoring and security checks at exam centres.
- Secure transportation and storage of question papers.
- Strict Action Against Malpractices:
- Legal action against individuals and entities involved in leaks.
- Stringent measures to prevent collusion between exam centre employees and perpetrators.
- Use of Advanced Technology:
- Deployment of high-tech tools to monitor and secure exam processes.
- Regular audits and inspections to ensure integrity.
The NTA, in response to these findings and recommendations, must take decisive action to restore confidence in the examination system and prevent future irregularities.
