It may be premature to talk about short- or long-term cure for a malady that has become entrenched in our psyche when we cannot see any worthwhile measure at all to combat this menace. The distressing aspect is that the demand for leaked questions is growing incrementally, for exams of all levels, including class I. That, regrettably, exposes the attitude of parents of children in their formative years, who seek out leaked questions. Are we looking at a future generation whose life would have been built on dishonesty, because their parents were not interested in what they learned but only in their grading?

Last year ended with reports of widespread leakage, and this year has started with the same news. The education minister was very unconvincing in his denial on the very first day of the ongoing SSC exams that the disclosed questions did not bear any similarity to the actual. The fact was different. In spite of his fire and brimstone statements, the menace has continued. He has not spared the teachers, but blaming any one particular group will not help.

We have come to a point when the matter merits attention like any other epidemic, one that is eating away slowly at the vitals of the society. Admittedly, there is no quick fix for it. But knee-jerk reactions and ad hoc measures will not help either. Both short- and long-term measures are needed. But first of all, the systemic flaws and the loopholes must be corrected and plugged. And the cleansing must start with the ministry, and the education boards. That is where the primary problem lies.