NEW DELHI: A single bad day should not decide a student’s future – and a poorly equipped examination centre should not ruin it. These concerns feature in thousands of suggestions received by the high-powered task force set up to overhaul India’s examination system.The panel, led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, has been consulting stakeholders ahead of its next meeting, scheduled after the Brics summit. It will begin examining reform proposals, sources said.Constituted amid paper leaks, cancelled tests and infrastructure failures, the task force is examining examination security, technology, infrastructure, accessibility, student well-being and testing-agency reforms. Suggestions invited from citizens until Sept 13 will be compiled into a detailed report. A prominent demand is to give candidates multiple attempts at high-stakes entrance tests.Manojranjan Nayak, founder-president of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, a deemed-to-be university, said: “Examination reform must move beyond making a flawed system more efficient. Multiple attempts can reduce the disproportionate cost of one bad day, but they should be combined with secure, accessible and uniformly equipped centres, transparent evaluation and greater weight for sustained learning. Technology can improve reliability, but it must not create a new divide between candidates with different levels of digital access. The real test of reform is whether every student, regardless of geography or income, gets a fair and dignified opportunity to demonstrate ability.”Poor infrastructure at testing centres is another concern. Examinations at a Jaipur centre were disrupted by power failures on two consecutive days, affecting candidates and raising questions about how centres are selected and monitored.“For a young candidate, exam day carries years of preparation and the hopes of an entire family. If an examination is disrupted because the centre loses power or connectivity, it is not a small technical failure; it is the candidate who pays the price,” said Ashish Mittal, founder and managing director of Innovatiview.
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“That is why India needs Adarsh Pariksha Kendras, where reliable power, secure internet, tested computers, biometric verification and CCTV are basic standards, not last-minute arrangements. Every candidate deserves a fair examination in a centre that will not fail them,” he added.The issue is more urgent as agencies expand computer-based testing. The National Testing Agency has written to education ministry organisations seeking suitable centres. At its request, the All India Council for Technical Education has asked government technical institutions for details of computers, internet connectivity, power backup, CCTV and vacant spaces that could become standard testing centres.The government is identifying more public institutions to host entrance examinations from the next academic cycle, reducing dependence on private centres and building a more reliable national testing network.
