Last Updated on June 11, 2026 11:37 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
By A. J. Philip
Nelson Mandela once famously observed: “To destroy a nation, you do not need atomic bombs or long-range missiles. You only need to lower the quality of education and allow cheating in exams by the students.” Looking at the current state of affairs, one cannot help but think how profoundly true those words are. Recent developments in the country’s education sector serve as clear proof of this.
Students from underrepresented communities, particularly those who struggle hard to gain admission to central universities like Delhi University through merit, are being completely pushed out. Teachers point out that students from states like Kerala, who scored high marks through state syllabus board exams, are being deliberately sidelined. There is an allegation that the introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) was a calculated move to keep these students out of premier central colleges.
Adding weight to these complaints is the data from Delhi University itself regarding admissions for the academic year 2022-23. The university has filled its seats primarily with students who have undergone expensive coaching for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Statistics show that 100% of the students who secured seats in top courses had coaching. This system, which evaluates students through a multiple-choice question format without considering their higher secondary board performance, works only for those who can afford expensive coaching. It severely disadvantages students who study diligently without coaching.
The Plight of the Underprivileged
To get admission to top colleges in Delhi, students are forced to spend lakhs on coaching classes in places like Kota, Rajasthan. Realizing this demand, commercial coaching networks have spread their tentacles into Kerala as well. This system, which relies on a single entrance exam where coaching gives an edge, fails to gauge the real knowledge of a student. Those who study without coaching find it near impossible to get in.
Furthermore, the implementation of new exam procedures has driven students and parents to despair. Errors, paper leaks, and systemic flaws have become a common occurrence in exams conducted by the NTA. The delay in releasing exam results and frequent schedule changes have caused immense mental distress to students.
Many students are assigned exam centers thousands of kilometers away from their homes. For a student from Kerala, centers are often allocated in states like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, or Jharkhand. Facing severe protests, the authorities sometimes change the centers at the last minute, requiring students to travel to completely different states within a short window. Poor families are forced to borrow money to meet these travel expenses, pushing them into financial ruin.
Meanwhile, private universities are capitalizing on this mess. Institutions like Ashoka, Jindal, Lovely Professional, Shiv Nadar, Sharda, and Galgotias have already completed their admission processes. These private universities charge exorbitant fees ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupees per semester.
The Medical Sector Collapse
The situation in medical education is no different. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which was introduced under the pretext of making medical admissions transparent and eliminating corruption in management quotas, has now completely lost its credibility.
The widespread allegations of paper leaks, grace mark irregularities, and systemic manipulation in this year’s NEET exam have shaken the trust of the entire country. The demand to cancel the compromised exam and conduct a re-test is a cry of despair from lakhs of students who studied honestly. This has deeply wounded the mental well-being of student communities, including those in Kerala. The medical admission system has essentially devolved into a playground for coaching centers and powerful lobbies.
Currently, several court cases are underway. While the Supreme Court is intervening and investigating the irregularities, the NTA remains defensive. This exam system, which plays with the lives of young youngsters, is being widely condemned. Parents and teachers point out that the massive irregularities in the ranking system indicate deep-seated corruption, and a comprehensive judicial inquiry is needed to investigate the sudden shift in the pattern of top ranks.
Government institutions are facing severe criticism, and their credibility has plummeted to an all-time low. The central government, which once championed a single entrance exam for the entire nation, is now facing questions on how it will protect the future of students who rely entirely on the Delhi AIIMS or other top-tier central medical institutions. Due to the delay in central admission processes, many deserving students are being forced to take admission in private colleges or looking abroad.
In the past, poor students from rural areas could dream of entering premium medical colleges through pure merit. However, the current reality ensures that only those who can afford years of expensive coaching can clear these hurdles. This has essentially turned medical education into a privilege exclusive to wealthy families.
Systematic Destruction of Public Education
The Indian education system is facing a massive crisis. Every year, new experiments, paper leaks, technical glitches, and general uncertainty around admissions have become the norm. The authorities bear no accountability for these failures. Under the leadership of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the system seems to be moving from one disaster to another.
Scholarships and financial support that previously existed for backward and minority students have been systematically cut down or discontinued. Poor students are being driven out of higher education, while private education businesses thrive.
The government’s response to this crisis is nothing short of a mockery. Instead of addressing structural flaws, initiatives like ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ (Discussions on Exams) are organized, treating a systemic crisis as a mere matter of stress management. While thousands of students are suffering due to the inefficiency of the NTA, the Prime Minister writes books like ‘Exam Warriors’ and gives speeches on managing stress. Such superficial programs and speeches do nothing to provide a stable, corruption-free education system for the youth of this country.
The Indian education scene has truly become a tragedy. What should have been a fair system based on merit and equal opportunity has been turned into a corporate marketplace. The absolute chaos in examinations and the absolute indifference of the authorities have put the future of our youth at stake. It is time for a serious, collective introspection on where our education system is heading.
ajphilip@gmail.com