In the media

Maharashtra State Council of Examination Commissioner and two other accomplices were arrested for alleged involvement in malpractices in the Teachers Eligibility Test. The fraud committed was worth Rs 4.25 crore, and the candidates were asked to pay Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for passing the exam. A committee headed by Education Chief Secretary has been constituted to thoroughly investigate the case.

Poverty, the rising rate of early dropouts, ghost schools and teachers, low pass rates in the JEST test for primary school teachers are just some of the factors at the heart of the education crisis in Sindh. The biometric mechanism put in place by the Sindh government proved to be counterproductive and has failed to compel ghost teachers to attend school: 6.5 million children are currently out of school.

A survey on plagiarism conducted by Copyleaks collected responses from 31,000 colleges and 20,000 high school students worldwide. The study shows that the largest increase in plagiarized submissions was recorded in the Netherlands, with 26% of cases before COVID compared to 45% after the pandemic, i.e. a total increase of 19%. This was followed by France (37% before vs. 49% after, i.e. - a 12% jump), closely followed by India (42% before vs. 53% after; i.e.- an 11% jump). The UK, Canada and Germany all saw a 4% increase in plagiarism cases.

The All Meghalaya Minority Students’ Union (AMMSU) have filled a complaint to the commissioner and secretary of the state regarding the BPN Zaman Girl’s UP School. According to the president of AMMSU, a local of the village of Phersakandi, no one has heard or studied in this school. However, since 1992, grants have continued to come to the school and its fake teachers, and public funds have been misused for decades.

There have been reports of students in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, IIT-Kharagpur, and IIT-Ropar using WhatsApp groups to share solutions to questions, and using breaks to call their peers during the examinations. A professor reports that 95% of students cheat. To prevent it, the Ministry of Education has established a committee to develop a common protocol for online internal examinations, and universities are considering the introduction of a code of honour.

A report conducted by the Global Corruption Barometer Asia found that nearly 50 per cent of those who paid bribes were asked to, while 32 per cent of those who used personal connections said they would not receive the service otherwise. With the highest bribery rate in the region, (39 per cent) India also has the highest rate of people using personal connections to access public services (46 per cent). 63 per cent of citizens think that if they report corruption, they will suffer retaliation. The daily practice of corruption and bribery remains extremely high, with almost one in five citizens paying a bribe to access key public services, such as health care or education.

The police arrested an education officer for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a school uniform supplier in Shamli. According to the anti-corruption unit, the supplier of school uniforms for government schools lodged a complaint after the official had asked him to pay up as part of the deal to deliver uniforms to a school.

Almost 200 of 900 PhD thesis submitted at Osmania University every year have plagiarized content up 50 per cent. The university reinforced the regulations after approving the University Grants Commissions’ promotion of academic integrity. Faculty members having a similarity of above 40 per cent will be asked to withdraw the manuscript, will be denied the right to annual increments, and will not be allowed to supervise new thesis for 2 to 3 years students.

Since its implementation in 2012, the Right to Education admissions has been riddled with fraudulent applicants. For the current academic year, the government has asked the parents for a signed affidavit claiming responsibility for the genuineness of the documents. Despite being informed of criminal prosecution if their documents are found to be fake, parents with sound background have been shamelessly lied to receive free school admission meant for those on a low income.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared 24 universities in the country as fake. According to the UGC, universities can confer degrees only if the university is established under a Central, State-Provincial Act or by an institution, which is a deemed-to-be university. Besides, institutions specially empowered by an Act of Parliament may also award degrees to students.