NEET, Telegram Ban And The Edtech Void

The NEET crisis, the reactive Telegram ban and the plight of millions of students exposed a massive edtech gap in India. Where is the technology in Indian education?

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The paper leaks, the cancellation and the rescheduling of the NEET-UG examination has thrown the lives of over 2.2 Mn medical college aspirants into disarray. It has also exposed a recurring, systemic crisis of integrity in the Indian education system. 

In the wake of public outrage over the past month, the central government’s response was to target the digital messenger and restrict access to Telegram. This response has drawn the ire and the attention of nearly every home in the country. 

Later today, millions of students will once again take the NEET exam and their fate will once again rest on the hope that this time there will be no leaks. If indeed that’s not the case, the ban on Telegram will start to look gravely misplaced. 

Acting under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the government temporarily put a ban on Telegram in India and has even likened it to the dark web. 

As Telegram took the fight to the Delhi High Court, the court declined to interfere with the government’s blocking orders and Telegram is inaccessible in India till June 22 at the very least. 

The court found that the requirements of natural justice were satisfied and that the power to block “information” is wide enough to permit the blocking of an entire platform. 

Nevertheless, the drastic measure has severely divided the........

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