Are India’s Competitive Exams Rigged Against the Common Student?

Massive protests over alleged irregularities in the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 recruitment exam entered their second day on Friday, with students and educators hitting the streets in cities across India, including a dramatic standoff in New Delhi. Accusations of mismanagement, technical glitches, and procedural lapses have triggered widespread unrest, with demands for accountability from the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

From Jantar Mantar to DoPT: Protest Escalates

What began as a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Thursday swelled into a larger protest outside the DoPT office on Friday. Hundreds of students, joined by coaching faculty and civil services aspirants, demanded a complete overhaul of the SSC examination system.

Educator and influencer Neetu Singh, widely known as "Neetu Ma'am", was briefly detained by police but released later that evening. Speaking to NDTV after her release, Singh asserted that they were not staging a protest but had sought an urgent meeting with the DoPT and relevant ministers. “SSC officials are stonewalling students’ concerns. For years, aspirants have suffered due to faulty procedures and mismanagement,” she said.

She cited recurring errors in examination papers, far-off exam centre allocations, and the SSC’s defensive stance in court when confronted with these issues as key pain points.

Allegations Against Eduquity: A Blacklisted Agency in the Spotlight

At the heart of the controversy is the role of Eduquity, the agency contracted to conduct the SSC Selection Phase 13 examination. According to Neetu Singh and multiple student groups, Eduquity has been previously blacklisted by the Education Department and has been widely criticised for its links to the Vyapam scam, which involved systematic exam fraud, impersonation, and bribery.

Despite its tainted history, Eduquity was tasked with managing this year’s SSC exam and is also slated to conduct the high-stakes SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination, which is expected to see over three million aspirants. The decision has sparked outrage among students, many of whom argue that handing over critical examinations to an agency with such a track record raises serious questions about transparency and governance.

Systemic Failures and Administrative Apathy

Students have highlighted a litany of problems in the conduct of Phase 13:

• Repeated last-minute cancellations of exams without prior notice.

• Delayed issuance of admit cards, some released only two days prior to exam day, against the usual four-day timeline.

• Erroneous centre allocations, including a widely reported case of a Jaipur-based candidate assigned a centre in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• Technical failures at examination centres, including dysfunctional computer accessories (like mouse or keyboard), blacked-out screens, system crashes, and server downtimes.

• Security and staff misconduct, with several candidates alleging rude behaviour and mishandling at exam venues.

• Aadhaar authentication failures, which obstructed the application process or caused identification issues on exam day.

Collectively, these lapses have eroded public trust in SSC’s examination system and have amplified students’ frustration.

Longstanding Discontent

The SSC, a central recruitment body under the DoPT, has faced criticism in the past for erratic scheduling, technical malfunctions, and opaque handling of grievances. However, the Phase 13 debacle appears to have crossed a tipping point for students and educators alike.

Candidates who had travelled from distant states at considerable personal expense were informed at the last minute—sometimes at the venue itself—that the exam had been cancelled. This logistical nightmare has fueled demands for reform, accountability, and greater oversight of third-party vendors.

What Students Are Demanding

Protesters are calling for:

1. A judicial or parliamentary probe into the functioning of SSC and its contracts with private vendors.

2. Immediate blacklisting of Eduquity and revocation of its contract.

3. Creation of a transparent grievance redressal mechanism for aspirants.

4. Re-conduct of the SSC Selection Phase 13 exam with proper safeguards.

5. Advance notice and improved communication about exam schedules and changes.

6. End to unfair centre allocations and mandatory Aadhaar hurdles.

A Crisis of Trust

The ongoing protests mark not just a response to an isolated incident but a growing sentiment among aspirants that India's recruitment system for government jobs is in dire need of reform. With increasing unemployment and fierce competition for limited posts, even minor lapses can have life-altering consequences for candidates.

Educators like Neetu Singh have emerged as voices of support for the students, pointing to a deeper institutional malaise. “This is not just about one exam. It’s about how we treat the future workforce of the country,” she said.

The SSC protest wave has put a spotlight on deep-rooted systemic issues in public sector recruitment processes. As demonstrators continue to demand justice and clarity, the onus is now on the DoPT and the Union Government to take swift, transparent, and corrective action—before the trust deficit turns into a full-blown national credibility crisis.

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