SSC or Staff Selection Commission, an organization under Government of India, conducts examinations to recruit personnel for different posts in the various ministries and departments of the Government of India and in subordinate offices. Every year, lakhs of government job seekers apply for SSC exams in hope of a stable government job they can bank upon their future.
This year too, the examination was conducted as per schedule in February. The difference, this time, is the allegation of mass cheating being executed by some corrupt coaching institutes which somehow managed to obtain the question paper of SSC tier II exams and sold them to the rich and powerful people. The candidates who appeared for exams this year are saying that it is only possible in collusion with the SSC higher authorities.
There is a facebook page SSCtube from where we got a clear hint of the leak. They posted screenshots of questions before the exams which was shared widely. As per the candidates, the same questions were also asked in the ‘real’ exam which casts a dubious intention of an organized cheating at a mass level by some powerful groups.
So, the candidates, who took the exam this year, are demanding an SC-monitored CBI enquiry. Their demands are reasonable seeing the frequency of paper leak scams are emerging. They do not want exams to be cancelled, they only want the truth to come out. If there is nothing wrong why oppose an enquiry in the first place? The inaction only increases suspicion and even raises doubts if other exams conducted by SSC in the past was fair.
The media, electronic media in particular, which had more than enough time for the protests linked to film Padmavati has gone completely silent on the protests being carried out by SSC aspirants regarding an ‘alleged’ paper leakage before the exam. The issue has only been raised by a zero-TRP anchor Ravish Kumar with great vigour like those group of students protesting outside SSC. In the print, the leakage has been reported but lacked conviction.
There are aspirants, thousands of them, who left their home to prepare for exams like the ones conducted by the SSC. For this young brigade of job seekers, the whole episode of paper leak comes as a major blow. Keeping preparation aside, the candidates have been forced to become activists. “We want justice”, “We demand CBI enquiry”, “SSC tumhare sitam nahi sahenge hum”, these are some common slogans hurled by the protesters outside the SSC headquarter at Lodhi road.
But SSC, on the other hand, has given itself a clean chit countering the allegation with their own allegation stating that the issue is a manufactured one instigated by coaching centres and those having a vested interest.
It is not as if SSC exams are not valuable. If you think so, you need to spend a day with a serious aspirant. Paper leak undermines all the efforts an aspirant put throughout the year in order to secure a government job. The government cannot afford to do that.
There is a large section of students preparing for SSC exams. Even those who are preparing for UPSC Civil Services write SSC exam, the obvious reason is that not everyone can get the white-collar job of administrator. You will only find few administrators who have not written SSC exams before beginning their topnotch career in bureaucracy.
There have been several allegations of corruption and misconduct against SSC in the past in one form or another. So this year, it only got bigger or just got exposed. At this point, I would also like to highlight that corruption and SSC are interlinked actually. Many aspirants want to get into the service because of the additional income in the form of bribes which erode the upper limit of salary.
The rich and influential people are getting absolute power. It's like some of the Marx’s predictions are getting real in India. It is the education & merit that can lift one from the unjust societal division and poverty. Now if that power of education gets trampled by the rich and powerful, it will sow seeds of a revolution, the communist of sorts.
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| source: Yuva Halla Bol |
It is no wonder that on 31 March 2018, Yuva Halla Bol, an organization specifically protesting against SSC scam, has organized a mass campaign “Delhi Chalo” (Come to Delhi). It is yet to be seen whether it can make any difference or cannot even manage to grab the media attention.
This post only adds up to the unheard voice of aspirants. I put things into perspective. I can’t confirm or deny whether paper leak happened or not. It is the responsibility of the investigating agencies, and our great media, to go deeper into the matter and clarify things.
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