This may just be the symptom. But this should not be any reason to go slack over the matter. After it has been established that the Class XII Physics question paper was leaked, the whip was cracked and 16 persons including 12 juveniles have been pulled up but this should be seen as just the start of the investigation into the matter. Keeping in line with the swift move of the State police, the State Government too has responded swiftly with Education Minister Th Radheshyam assuring that a full probe will be initiated to get to the bottom of the matter. Chief Minister N Biren too is reported to have assured student body, DESAM that the matter will be thoroughly probed and fitting action taken. And as stated earlier, the question paper leak scam may just be the symptom of the malaise afflicting education in Manipur. This is what is extremely worrying and at the same frightening. The question leak has been confirmed, but the important question is how many such cases may have gone unreported or undetected. All indications that there may be a well entrenched coterie inside the system, who are ready to sell question papers ahead of the examinations, all for a price. This is where the investigation into the case will need to probe the amount of money that was involved and most likely it could not have been the handiwork of a single individual but the collective efforts of some unscrupulous elements, who can go to any length to make some quick bucks on the sly.
And it should also be clear that the question could have only been leaked by those who had access to the question paper, which in other words mean only by those who could lay their hands on the question paper ahead of the examination. So students in Manipur do not have to deal only with over crowded class rooms, rely on private tuitions to crack or score good marks in the exam, cope with the numerous disturbances to their academic pursuit but also with unscrupulous elements who have no qualms about leaking question papers ahead of the examination. Not all would have laid their hands on the leaked question paper, but common sense says that the Council of Higher Secondary Examination, Manipur (COHSEM), will need to cancel the said examination and conduct a fresh one. This may may not be justice to the sincere students who burnt the midnight oil for the examinations but then this is the only option left to neutralise the question paper leak. The question paper leak is also the right time for COHSEM to study where it went wrong and what steps may be taken up to plug the loopholes, if any. Class XII exam is not just another exam, but should be seen as the stepping stone to the future and it is this which should not be lost on anyone. The question paper leak may just be the symptom and it is important that the real malaise is tackled.
Source: The Sangai Express
