India is a land of ingenious ways of cheating. Can internet shutdown be the solution?

A few years ago, a photo of an examination centre in Bihar grabbed the attention of the international media. A number of brave hearts were seen climbing the wall of an examination centre to help the candidates writing the exam inside.

It was a do-or-die situation for both of those inside and outside.

A lot happened after that. It was seen not merely as a problem, but a symptom of a bigger rot.

A slew of punitive measures were taken, students were barred from wearing socks or shoes during examinations. Instances of students being strip-searched are also not rare.

But then the masterstroke came.

The Rajasthan government has suspended internet services on a number of occasions this year during government recruitment examinations. Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, too, implemented the same.

However, this is still far away from school/high school/college/university examinations. 

Ironically, such a simple and supposedly fool-proof solution of internet suspension throws up a number of questions.

1. Corruption in government recruitment tests is out there.
2. If school education boards like the state boards, CBSE, ICSE are not being able to curb cheating, they are not alone. The state governments have got a bigger issue here.
3. Shutting down the internet for a specific period of time impacts e-commerce, IT services etc. But the state governments, it seems, are ready to risk that.

Internet blackout is not unprecedented globally.

Algeria went for a nationwide shutdown during school examination in July. And there are international campaigns against the moves the governments are taking to stop mass cheating.

In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned such network disruptions. Also, there is a serious debate whether an exam can qualify to be an emergency situation, which can call for such suspensions of network.

So, the bigger problem of cheating has just found another symptom: Internet shutdown.

But, how did we actually come here where snapping the connection seems an easier solution than strengthening invigilation?

The All India Pre-Medical Test, 2015 should be remembered as a landmark in this case.

The Supreme Court had cancelled the test after allegations of widespread mass cheating surfaced. The findings of the investigations astounded us.

Candidates wore some specially-made vests with SIM cards attached, which was undetected during the shoddy screening the examination centres must have had. It was found that about 356 calls were made while the exam was on.

Following this mega episode of India’s recent cheating history, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to install jammer in and around exam centres.

In 2016, the Gujarat government requested Internet services to be blocked during a recruitment test conducted by the Gujarat State Subsidiary Selection Board. It was said that the exam had been cancelled in 2015 as the question was leaked through WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook.

Such incidents of cancelled exams normalised Internet shutdown during exams.

So, what next?

Internet shutdown during CBSE too? Especially after this year’s ‘rumours’ of question leak through WhatsApp, brought to the notice of a Delhi minister?

What other options do we have, accepting the fact that the education system won’t change; competition for government jobs will not recede?

Strengthening law and order to stop such practices seems to be the most obvious.

Ensuring high-tech screening at the examination centres, deploying more invigilators, installing CCTV cameras are also other options. All these call for a greater infrastructure, which we may not have.

But we have internet connection. So, let’s suspend that.

Also read: Why cheating comes naturally to Indians