India Forms Exam Reform Panel After Education Minister Resigns

By Staff, Agencies

India has established a high-level task force to recommend reforms to the country's examination system, one day after student protests over an examination paper leak led to the resignation of the federal education minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed a six-member panel headed by Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani to propose measures aimed at improving the integrity and transparency of public examinations.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday following weeks of nationwide protests over an alleged examination paper leak that reportedly drove dozens of students to suicide.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Modi said the government was committed to protecting students' futures, adding that those responsible for manipulating the examination process had been jailed.

The prime minister also encouraged government ministers to engage with young people through Instagram, reflecting the platform's popularity among India's younger generation during the protests.

The panel includes former Indian Space Research Organisation chief S. Somnath and Indian Institute of Technology Madras Director V. Kamakoti, alongside other experts.

Nilekani previously chaired the Unique Identification Authority of India, which oversees the Aadhaar identity system, and played a key role in developing the Unified Payments Interface digital payments network.

Modi said the government had established fast-track courts to handle examination malpractice cases and planned to introduce legislation providing stricter penalties, while emphasizing the need for a reliable and transparent examination system supported by technology.