New Delhi, Describing exam paper leaks as a "burning issue" in the country, Rajya Sabha MP and noted screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad says there should be a technology-driven system under which question papers are generated and encrypted just minutes before the start of an examination to minimise the possibility of such leaks.
Prasad, best known for writing blockbusters such as "Baahubali", "RRR" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", said the gap between preparing question papers and conducting examinations creates multiple opportunities for leaks.
"Right now, this is a burning issue in the country. We need to examine the reasons behind paper leaks because there is a time gap between the preparation of the question paper and the examination itself. A leak can happen at any stage where the paper is composed, printed, bound, stored or transported. How can it be stopped, or at least minimised? The absolute minimum is to avoid preparing the final question paper before students enter the examination centre," he told PTI in an interview.
The issue of examination paper leaks came into focus following allegations of irregularities in this year's NEET examination, which triggered nationwide protests led by the satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party .
The agitation, which began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar before spreading to several cities, continued for 36 days and culminated with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the government accepted the protesters' key demands.
{{/usCountry}}The agitation, which began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar before spreading to several cities, continued for 36 days and culminated with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the government accepted the protesters' key demands.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about NEET exam, Prasad proposed creating a large question bank for every subject, from which a computer would randomly generate a question paper shortly before the examination.
"Take the recent NEET examination as an example. It has four subjects Botany, Zoology, Chemistry and Physics with around 45 questions in each. What I suggest is that academicians create a question bank of around 5,000 to 6,000 questions for each subject," he said.
According to Prasad, the question bank should be designed to maintain a predetermined mix of easy, medium and difficult questions, as well as sections testing analytical thinking, memory, recall and creativity.
He said the examination paper should be generated through a computer programme shortly before the exam begins, after which experts would verify that it meets the prescribed parameters.
"Once the question bank is ready, the examination authorities will ask the computer to pick the required number of questions from it and generate the question paper within the prescribed parameters. Again, what I want to underline is that they are not evaluating the questions themselves at that stage. They will only check whether the required proportions are equally represented. One or two people will evaluate the generated question paper."
Prasad suggested students report to examination centres an hour before the test, surrender their phones and study material, and remain inside the premises while the question paper is generated.
"At 8:10 am, a computer-generated key will be created, which will instruct the system to pick the questions for the examination paper. Within one or two minutes, the examination paper will be generated. The experts will then go through the paper, and once they are satisfied, they will approve it."
The approved paper, he said, should then be encrypted and transmitted to examination centres, where multiple authorised officials would be required to unlock it shortly before the examination begins.
"At about 8:55 am, they will open the encrypted file and upload it to the computers with a time lock, which will automatically open at 9 am. By then, the students will already be seated, and they can begin answering the questions exactly at 9 am.
"So, when the paper is finally generated, all the students are already inside the examination centres. There is virtually no scope for the question paper to be leaked," Prasad said.
Asked about his new endeavours in the world of storytelling, the veteran writer said he has narrated the script for the sequel to 2015 hit "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" to Salman Khan.
"Yes, I narrated him the sequel of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he liked it. Now the ball is in his court, not my court," he said.
Prasad also said he has written his filmmaker son S S Rajamouli's upcoming film "Varanasi", a sprawling action epic featuring Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu alongside actors Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
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