The NEET paper leak may have triggered the recent student uprising but it would be a mistake to imagine the protests were mainly against the mismanagement of examinations. The frustration and anger manifest in these protests stem from a deeper anxiety.

For millions of young Indians, these competitive examinations are among the few remaining routes to secure, reasonably paid jobs. When the integrity of these exams is compromised, it can mean waiting another year before you can even make another attempt. So, even from the get-go, these protests were as much about jobs as about examinations.

Government competitive examinations have become a waiting room for graduates. Young people in their early 20s spend years in coaching classes and rented rooms, making repeat attempts to clear exams where the success rate may be one or two per cent. These are prime years in which they could have acquired work experience, workplace skills, savings and professional networks.

The waiting is not irrational because entry-level salaries in the private sector have stagnated for a long time. The average monthly earning of a young male graduate fell from Rs 21,800 in 2011 to Rs 19,573 in 2023, even before adjusting for inflation.

A government job offers much better pay, continuity, health benefits, social status and protection against job loss. At an individual level, waiting is therefore a rational response. But the collective outcome is a considerable waste of human potential.

Between 2004 and 2023, India produced roughly five million graduates every year, but graduate employment increased by only around 2.8 million a year. Even fewer obtained salaried employment. Millions are either unemployed or working below their qualifications or in the waiting room for the elusive government job.

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The Periodic Labour Force Survey reported an overall unemployment........

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