NTA and CBSE have a lot to answer for. Their exam systems are failing students and putting young people’s futures at risk
The problems with CUET-UG 2026 are another warning sign that something is seriously wrong with how major exams are being run. There have been paper leaks, confusion at exam centres, technical problems, poor communication, and very little accountability. Worst of all, millions of students are left dealing with the stress while their futures hang in the balance.
During CUET-UG 2026, a technical glitch delayed exams for hours. Some students could not finish their test. Others left because nobody seemed to know what was happening and rumours spread faster than official updates. Now many of these students have been told they will get another chance through a re-test.
But calling a re-test an “opportunity” misses the point. Students spend months, and often years, preparing for these exams. Sitting through the same stressful process again is not a gift. It is exhausting. Every extra exam means more anxiety, more uncertainty, and more pressure.
NTA and CBSE seem to be rushing into digital systems without making sure those systems are fully ready. New technology can be useful, but only if it works properly. Before changing the way important exams are conducted, the systems should be secure, reliable, and backed up by strong emergency plans. Instead, every year seems to bring a new crisis followed by attempts to fix the damage.
Questions need answers. After the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, new security measures were promised. Why do paper leaks still happen? Why did CBSE move to onscreen marking before its scanning system was ready? These are not small mistakes. They suggest deeper problems in planning and management.
Simply replacing a few officials will not solve the issue. The problem is bigger than logistics. It is about how these exam systems are designed and run.
Not long ago, people debated the best way to measure talent and merit. Today, the debate is often about whether the exam system itself can be trusted. That is a serious problem. A fair exam system should reward hard work and ability. Instead, repeated mistakes are damaging students’ faith in the process.
Students give up a large part of their childhood preparing for board exams and entrance tests. Some sharp-minded teenagers have even helped uncover mistakes in CBSE’s own systems. Yet these same students remain dependent on exam bodies that keep making errors.
That is a disappointing betrayal of an entire generation. If the organisations responsible for conducting exams cannot be trusted to run them fairly and smoothly, then students are being let down by the very institutions meant to help them succeed.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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