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.
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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.The issue is more urgent as agencies expand computer-based testing. NTA has written to the education ministry organisations seeking suitable centres.
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