Speaking on the students’ protest over SCC Paper leak row, National President of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Varun Choudhary says, “…The company responsible for conducting the SSC exam has already been banned in three states. The tender awarded to this company should be revoked. Leaders from the Ministry should meet with the students and listen to their concerns. The government must ensure justice is served to the students…”
The exam, which began on July 24 and is scheduled to conclude on August 1, has seen numerous complaints of abrupt cancellations, server crashes, unresponsive systems, and remote exam centres, located as far as 500 km from candidates’ homes.
“Aspirants are being sent to far-flung centres, only to discover that the exam is cancelled. At some venues, cattle heads were kept on the ground floor while students were giving exams upstairs. Bouncers have been deployed to silence students who raise concerns. The mouse doesn’t work, and systems hang. This is what we’re facing,” a teacher from the protest told PTI Videos.
He said during a meeting with the SSC director, officials admitted to receiving over 55,000 complaints related to the exam. “If there are three lakh students and 55,000 have registered issues, that alone speaks volumes. SSC-CGL, with 30 lakh aspirants, is scheduled to start from August 13. How will SSC manage that with these broken systems?” he said.
Many students alleged that exam centres were located in remote or unsafe locations. “The government awarded the tender to a blacklisted company. How can a company with such a background be trusted with exams that determine our future?” a student said.
Another protester added, “Even if we manage to reach the centre after spending thousands, we are told the exam is cancelled. There’s no clarity on rescheduling. Our time, money, and most importantly, crucial years of preparation are being wasted. Who is answerable for that?” A number of aspirants also questioned the presence of bouncers at examination venues.