Cash-for-marks scam

The cash-for-marks scam in the re-evaluation of some answer sheets is a blot on the image of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU). The tainted include an unscrupulous mix of doers and enablers: university staff, a broker, an evaluator (an assistant professor of Baba Mast Nath University) and some students. This shameful exercise compromises the legitimacy of a high-stakes examination as unworthy students are put at an advantage vis-a-vis the hard-working and deserving ones. A BTech student seeking re-evaluation was promised an upward revision of marks for a price of around Rs 50,000. 

The unearthing of this unholy mess once more highlights the pitfalls of the failure to uplift the country from the tangle of a substandard system of education and examination-related scandals. Bribery, cheating and other malpractices and unfair means are often resorted to by pupils as their base has not been developed strong enough in coaching shops disguised as institutes of learning or government schools that continue to show dismal results. With this expose, MDU, one of Haryana's best-known universities, joins the dubious list of universities smeared by irregularities. Last September, the reputation of Anna University of Tamil Nadu was shaken when academicians were found unduly showering students with enhanced scores in the re-evaluation process. In a similar modus operandi, money exchanged hands through a middleman. A couple of years ago, some employees of the University of Mumbai were arrested for allegedly facilitating some engineering students to tamper with their answer sheets a day or two after the exams had concluded.

That brazen paper-chasing incidents are prevalent even in such institutes of repute is a matter of concern. A shift from the traditional pen-and-paper assessment process to the digitised one could help curb this malpractice. Engineering colleges which have mushroomed across the country have become an easy refuge for students, a huge percentage of whom can barely comprehend the syllabus. As they pass out by hook or crook, they only add to the already unemployable millions seeking to enter the skilled sector.