GS Paper II

News Excerpt:

In response to the increasing incidents of malpractice in public examinations, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has notified The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Key Provisions of the Act:

1. Parameters for conducting Computer-Based Tests (CBTs):

• Registration of Candidates: Proper protocols for candidate registration.
• Centre Allocation: Criteria and procedures for allocating exam centers.
• Admit Cards: Guidelines for the issuance of admit cards.
• Question Paper Management: Downloading from the main server to the local server, and digitally transferring the papers to authorized computers.
• Evaluation and Recommendations: Standardized methods for evaluating answers and making final recommendations.
• The central government’s National Recruitment Agency is responsible for preparing norms, standards, and guidelines for CBTs in consultation with stakeholders, covering both physical and digital infrastructure, including security measures like biometric registration and candidate screening.

2. Appointment of Centre Coordinators:

• The Act mandates the appointment of Centre Coordinators for Public Examinations, who can be serving or retired employees of various government organisations, like Central Government, State Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Public Sector Banks, Government Universities, autonomous bodies and other Government Organisations.
• The Centre Coordinator acts as the representative of the public examination authority, ensuring compliance with all norms, standards, and guidelines, and coordinating activities among various service providers.

3. Reporting and Investigation Framework:

• Venue In-Charge Reporting: The person in charge at the examination center must prepare a report if any unfair means are detected, and send it to the Regional Officer through the Centre Coordinator.
• First Information Report (FIR): If a prima facie case is made, the venue in charge is responsible for filing an FIR.

Rationale and Impact:

• The recent controversy over paper leaks in examinations like NEET UG has underscored the need for such legislation. 
• There have been numerous instances of question paper leaks disrupting the recruitment process for government jobs, affecting millions of applicants. 
• The new Act aims to address these vulnerabilities and ensure a fair examination system, providing a sense of security and fairness to the youth.
• This legislation aims to establish a robust framework to prevent the use of unfair means in public exams and ensure transparency, fairness, and credibility in the examination system.
• It is expected to serve as a model for states to adopt similar measures to combat examination malpractices.

Conclusion:

By implementing The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the government aims to bring greater transparency and credibility to public examinations, assuring candidates that their genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded.