India Education Minister Plans Technology Push After Exam Leaks

India will overhaul its examination system using technology and large question banks, Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said, as the government addresses weaknesses exposed by exam leaks and cheating allegations that triggered widespread student protests.

“We are making it more technology driven, making it more transparent, all those loopholes, we are plugging it now,” Joshi said in an interview on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi on Wednesday. The government wants an “overall change in the system,” including computer-based examinations as early as possible, he added

A panel headed by Infosys Ltd. co-founder and Chairman Nandan Nilekani, one of India’s most prominent tech founders, is examining reforms to the system and has discussed its plans with the government, Joshi said. The panel has yet to submit its report, but its recommendations will be considered “very, very positively and seriously,” he said.

India has faced a spate of exam paper leaks and other irregularities in recent years, including problems involving the highly competitive entrance test for medical schools. The failures triggered widespread student protests in July and exposed weaknesses in a system that conducts some of the world’s largest examinations. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid the unrest.

Joshi also pointed to the National Education Policy 2020 as key to narrowing the gap between workers’ skills and employers’ need, saying schools are placing greater emphasis on vocational training, innovation, critical thinking and artificial intelligence. India needs to turn its large youth population into a skilled workforce that can support its manufacturing ambitions, he added.