‘Completely ruined education system’: Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre over exam irregularities

New Delhi (IANS): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Central government, alleging that it has severely damaged India’s education system. He claimed the government’s failure to conduct major national examinations fairly and credibly has affected millions of students across the country.

His remarks followed reports that the CUET-UG 2026 examination faced technical glitches linked to TCS-operated systems at multiple examination centres in cities including Delhi and Bengaluru. Following the disruptions, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced compensatory time for affected candidates and delayed certain afternoon examination sessions.

The criticism also comes against the backdrop of the NTA cancelling the NEET-UG 2026 entrance examination following paper leak allegations. Additionally, concerns surround the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 board examination evaluation process.

In a post on X, Gandhi accused the government of repeatedly failing students and questioned its claims regarding educational achievements.

“NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four exams. One crore children. Not a single one conducted with honesty. Claims of ‘Vishwaguru’ but can’t conduct even one exam in the country — Modi ji has completely ruined the entire education system,” he wrote.

Gandhi further warned that students would eventually hold the government accountable for these developments.

“The generation whose future you are destroying — that same generation will hold you accountable,” he added.

The NTA’s subsequent cancellation of the NEET-UG examination following paper leak allegations marks a significant moment for the highly competitive medical entrance examination, reportedly affecting nearly 24 lakh aspirants seeking admission to medical institutions across the country.

At the same time, the CBSE faces criticism over issues related to the evaluation of Class 12 board examination answer sheets. The board had adopted a new digital On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which an outsourced private vendor managed.

Evaluators flagged several issues during the process, including mismatched answer sheets, blurred scanned copies, missing pages, and instances of unexpectedly low or inconsistent marking. In some cases, high-performing students reportedly received failing marks, triggering concerns among students and parents.

The controversies surrounding the examinations have sparked protests in different parts of the country and intensified the debate over the credibility of the examination system.