‘The system has not kept pace’: Former MSBSHSE chief on why alleged paper leaks keep happening
Vasant Kalpande, who ran the Maharashtra school Board for two terms, says the internal intelligence ecosystem has weakened, responses have become reactive, and technology has outpaced the system designed to secure question papers.
Even as paper leaks during state board examinations continue to surface, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has largely stuck to a familiar script — denial and proceeding with exams as scheduled. Vasant Kalpande, former MSBSHSE chairperson, tells The Indian Express why episodic fixes are not enough.
This feels like a pattern, not isolated incidents, from papers going viral minutes before exams to physical theft from a strongroom. Where is the system failing?
There are multiple factors. Earlier, the system had a strong internal intelligence mechanism where information about potential leaks would emerge suo-motu and be acted upon promptly, through strong internal communication and informal channels at all levels. That ecosystem has weakened over time, making responses more reactive, following public outcry rather than preceding it.
At the same time, instances of leaks have not only become more rampant but also more organised, indicating the involvement of larger criminal syndicates.
The Board has almost never acknowledged a paper leak. Can logistical difficulty be a valid reason to overlook a potential breach of fairness?
The Board is not completely wrong. SSC and HSC exams are held at a really large scale, with multiple lakhs of students appearing from across Maharashtra. Holding a re-exam for all 15-16 lakh students because 50-100 benefitted from a leak is certainly not viable. Not only due to logistical difficulties, but also considering the mental state of students who have not benefited. But if there is a serious breach, a re-exam is not an impossible task just because it is logistically difficult. The Board should take decisions based on individual cases.
Investigations happen, but there is very little visible accountability. Is the lack of strict, time-bound action enabling repeated breaches?
These cases are never ignored. Police cases are filed and investigations follow. But this is where stronger government-level intervention is required, because the Board cannot do more than registering an offence. The government should ensure each complaint leads to a conclusive investigation where the accused are not only identified but also acted against and that these matters are publicised to create a deterrence.
How have the risks evolved over the decades, and has the system kept pace?
The security risks have certainly evolved with technological innovations. But the system has not kept pace. In earlier times, a paper leak was limited to a particular region. Today, can anyone be certain about the spread of a potentially leaked paper? The Board needs to look at digital interventions, starting with the circulation of question papers. It is possible to digitally send papers just minutes before the exam, rather than guarding strongrooms where papers are sent well in advance. Beyond that, a question bank can be prepared to randomly generate papers on the spot, leaving no room for a leak.
What reforms are immediately necessary?
Apart from tech-driven interventions, the state needs to reconsider the undue importance given to board exams. The NEP 2020 suggests fundamental changes — open book tests, application-oriented objective questions. These need to be studied in connection with the current needs of students, to bring about a change in societal attitudes toward board exams.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
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