Nilekani Calls for India to Scrap Traditional Exam Papers

Nandan Nilekani, one of India’s most prominent technology leaders, said the country needs to do away with traditional question papers to combat leaks that have disrupted high-stakes exams taken by millions of students and job seekers.

“Why do we need to have a question paper?” Nilekani said at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi. “The moment you have a question paper, it becomes an economic incentive for that to be sold.”

Instead, he recommends building a vast digital bank of questions and using technology to generate papers shortly before an exam, reducing opportunities for leaks. He also called for a broader shift to computer-based testing through a network of examination centers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July tapped Nilekani to chair a high-powered panel on exam reforms after repeated paper leaks eroded public confidence in the country’s testing system. The leaks sparked some of India’s biggest student protests in years, culminating in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The panel is yet to submit its report.

“The prime minister is very keen to implement our suggestions,” Nilekani said. He also said that India has about 150,000 locations that could potentially support a computer-based testing system.

Nilekani is a familiar troubleshooter in India. He co-founded Infosys, one of the country’s biggest software companies, helped create the world’s largest biometric identity system and laid the foundations for India’s digital payments revolution.