In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing the first scandal of his new mandate. Several national competitions, for which millions of young Indians had prepared, had to be canceled due to fraud.
with our correspondent in Bangalore, Like Bastin
The cancellation of these exams led to a crisis as these competitions are truly the cornerstone of the Indian education system and the only hope, for many of the younger generation, in achieving their goals. India, to access training and a job that lives up to its name.
Last weekend, the NEET-PG exams were postponed, hours before they were scheduled to take place, for the fourth time. More than 200,000 Indians rely on this test to obtain a master's degree in the medical sector. A few days earlier, another exam, the UGC-NET (pardon the acronym!) that conditions eligibility and scholarships for doctoral students, particularly in the fields of languages and human sciences, was also cancelled, with 1 million candidates rejected. NEET-UG, which concerns more than 2 million Indians who want to enter medical school, after the equivalent of higher secondary school, is also in danger of becoming obsolete. Every now and then, there are subject leaks that call into question this giant exam held by the central government.
In some states, young people are letting their anger explode on the streets
And there have been dozens of arrests across the country, particularly in the poor state of Bihar, as students despair over repeated failures. This is a highly competitive exam, where the number of aspiring schools is very small. For young people, affected by India's high unemployment rate, to find out that the election results were rigged, with some people getting jobs before others, is an unbearable injustice. However, these leaks occur every year, triggering endless legal investigations that leave those whose families have made sacrifices to prepare them for competitive exams facing a long wait. Indian Express conducted a survey in February, even before the recent wave of exam cancellations. According to the daily, in five years, 14 million Indians have been affected by rampant corruption in the examination sector in India, with at least 40 leaks recorded.
The situation is also troubling the Indian Parliament, which was renewed after the elections on June 4
As the education minister takes the oath, you can hear NEET NEET in the background. A stronger opposition brings better democracy. pic.twitter.com/FE32uGNsyT
— Narundar (@NarundarM) June 24, 2024
The opposition, which had scored points during the election by campaigning on the lack of jobs for young people, attacked the coalition Narendra Modi. The Congress party accused its party, the BJP, of complacency and even local complicity in this corrupt ordeal and organized demonstrations in front of all its political headquarters on Friday. This Monday, the newly appointed Minister of Education had to take the oath of office in front of members of parliament while being booed and shouted embarrassed. The government accuses the opposition of politicizing the youth's desperation. Ultimately, this crisis also highlights a general disillusionment among India's younger generation. This national competition was overpowered, but even those who passed were not free from trouble. According to the International Labor Organization, nearly 30% of India's young graduates, despite their best efforts, are still unemployed.
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