Explained: Why Students Are Protesting Against SSC And What They Want
"We did not go there to protest, we wanted a meeting with DoPT officials and the minister because SSC officials are not giving any answers. We know students have been facing problems for many years and that exams are not being conducted in a fair manner," she told NDTV.
"There are many issues with the way SSC conducts examinations, the papers that are given had wrong questions, and when these issues were pointed out, the exam body tried to falsely defend itself in the court," she added.
Singh, known for her expertise in English language teaching, said the situation has deteriorated and students exam centres are being allocated in far-off places.
What Led Students And Teachers To Protest?
Students have flagged multiple issues, such as SSC cancelling exams on multiple occasions, administrative lapses such as allotment of exam centres and failure to issue admit cards even two days before the exam date. Typically, SSC releases admit cards four days in advance.
One glaring issue was a student of Jaipur being assigned an exam centre in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, despite students usually being allotted centres near their location based on preference.
They have also highlighted technical issues, such as systems crashing, accessories like mouse not functioning, blacked-out screens and server issues, at several centres.
Students also accused the security personnel and staff for misconduct and inappropriate behaviour.
"Blacklisted Agency Conducted the Exam"
This year's SSC Selection Phase 13 exam was conducted by Eduquity, the agency that Neetu Singh said has been blacklisted by the Education Department.
Students have long protested against Eduquity, which has been linked to the infamous Vyapam scam - involving bribery, manipulation of seating arrangements, and impersonation by exam-takers. Handing such a critical exam to a tainted agency sparked further outrage.
Despite its track record, Eduquity is also slated to conduct upcoming SSC exams, including the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) test, which will see participation from over 3 million candidates - raising serious concerns about the exam's administration.
Additionally, mandatory Aadhaar authentication created further hurdles, with many students unable to submit forms or facing issues at the exam centres.
The primary concern for students remains the repeated cancellation of the SSC Selection Phase 13 exam. Many travelled from different cities only to be informed - on arrival - that the exam had been cancelled without prior notice.
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