MUMBAI: After announcing a high-level committee to undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s recruitment examination system in the wake of a series of paper-leak incidents, the Maharashtra government has now spelt out the committee’s mandate, which is putting the entire examination process under scrutiny.
The committee, which was announced on August 12 following public outrage over several paper-leak incidents in Maharashtra, will examine vulnerabilities at every stage of the recruitment process, including question-paper setting, storage and distribution, examination centres, technology, evaluation and declaration of results. It will also review mechanisms to detect and prevent paper leaks, impersonation and other forms of malpractice.
On July 17, the government had constituted a separate high-level committee headed by the chief secretary to examine the feasibility of conducting all government examinations online across Maharashtra. The move came after the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) examination, scheduled for June 28, was postponed a day before it was to be held after the police uncovered a question-paper leak in Bhiwandi. CM Devendra Fadnavis subsequently ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team.
The scrutiny will begin at the source, the question paper itself. The committee will examine question-paper preparation, scrutiny and moderation, the creation of multiple sets, printing or digital distribution, confidentiality, custody and transportation. It will also look at the conduct of examinations, recording of responses, evaluation and declaration of results, and recommend security measures across each stage. The government has also acknowledged the need for tighter coordination among the many agencies involved in recruitment examinations. The committee will propose institutional procedures for coordination among district collectors, police commissioners and superintendents of police, education department authorities, examination-conducting agencies and other concerned bodies. This is the second committee constituted by the state government in an effort to plug loopholes and curb paper leak incidents. The move comes in the wake of the leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper, which raised concerns over the security and transparency of the state’s recruitment examination process.
