Daijiworld Media Network - Dehradun
Dehradun, Jul 18: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised the Centre over alleged irregularities in entrance examinations, saying paper leaks have become a recurring problem in India and that those responsible continue to escape punishment.
Addressing students at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, the Congress MP said the issue was directly linked to the future of the country's youth and called for a political consensus to tackle examination paper leaks.
Rahul alleged that the entire education system was affected by the problem and said no meaningful action had been taken against those involved.
He also criticised the existing education system, describing it as outdated and rooted in the 19th century. According to him, the current model is government-centric, whereas India now requires a student-centric education system.
The Congress leader said only one per cent of people benefit from paper leaks, but their actions harm the remaining 99 per cent of students who are honest and economically disadvantaged.
Citing figures, Rahul claimed that around 7.5 crore students had been affected by examination paper leaks and that 152 such incidents had been reported.
"Yet, the reality is that the conviction rate is zero. Not a single person has gone to jail or been punished in connection with these cases," he said.
He added, "It represents merely the 10 per cent tip of the iceberg. The truth is, we do not know the actual number of leaks because we do not know how many go undetected. This is a central issue concerning the future of India's youth. It is an insult to you and your parents; it is an insult to your hard work and dedication."
Rahul further alleged that sophisticated technology was being used to facilitate paper leaks.
He claimed that individuals with substantial financial resources could effectively choose examination papers "from a menu card", leading to a steady rise in such incidents across the country.
Referring to the intense competition in entrance examinations, Rahul said only around six lakh candidates succeed out of nearly nine crore aspirants.
"You only pursue this path if you were the one who stood first among those fifty students. The others, those who came second, third, or fourth, could not cross this threshold," he said.