NEW DELHI: The controversial issue of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-UG paper anomalies rocked the Lok Sabha on the very first day of the Budget session, with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi facing off.
Rahul attacked the government on alleged paper leaks during the question hour saying, “Millions of students are concerned and convinced that the entire Indian examination system is a fraud.” He also said the minister did not understand the issues at hand.
“The minister has blamed all but himself. He doesn’t understand the fundamentals of what’s going on here. Millions believe if you are rich, you can buy the exam system and this is the feeling we have. As this is systemic issue, the first question is what’s being done to fix it at a systemic level,” asked Rahul.
Speaker Om Birla cautioned Rahul saying casting aspersions on the entire exam architecture could have serious consequences for the future of students who had passed these exams and for the Indian education system. “This is not right,” said Birla while Pradhan condemned the remarks saying the Congress-led UPA government had in 2010 mooted a Bill to prevent educational malpractices, but never tabled it due to private college lobby pressures. “We had the courage to enact the law,” said Pradhan.