Indian PM Modi Vows Overhaul of Testing System After Leaks Spark Protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a complete overhaul of the examination system following the resignation of the education minister amid massive protests triggered by a medical school entrance exam question leak scandal.

According to Reuters, AFP, and other news outlets on July 27, Prime Minister Modi stated on his social media the previous day that "the examination system must be reliable and transparent," adding that "we will make maximum use of information technology."

To this end, he emphasized that a high-level task force involving relevant ministries will be formed to swiftly reform the exam system.

This stance came just a day after the previous education minister resigned following fierce protests led by the Gen Z online group "Cockroach Janata Party" (CJP).

However, in his 30-second video statement, he did not mention former Minister Pradhan.

Nandan Nilekani, former co-founder of the Indian IT giant Infosys who led the introduction of biometric identification, has been selected to head the task force that will lead the exam system reform.

He is a titan in India's IT industry, formerly dubbed the "Bill Gates of Bangalore," and Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on the US Nasdaq market in 1999.

Prime Minister Modi also announced that a new bill to prevent exam question leaks will be submitted to parliament, warning of severe punishment for perpetrators.

Previously, in May, suspicions of question leaks arose during India's largest medical school entrance exam, in which some 2.2 million test-takers participated, sparking anger among local youths.

Coupled with controversial remarks by Indian Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, who compared unemployed youths to cockroaches at the time, the CJP gathered over 20 million followers in just about a month and led large-scale street protests.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that 10 test-takers who could not withstand the pressure for a re-exam following the leak scandal took their own lives, prompting the Indian government to step up to compensate the bereaved families.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.