RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday assured students that their hard work would not be left at the mercy of “mafia”, corruption or irregularities, and promised systemic reforms in the examination system.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day at Morhabadi Maidaan in Ranchi, Soren said the future of Jharkhand’s youth was of utmost importance to him and that the government was focusing on systemic change.
“The government will not leave the hard work of the youth at the mercy of mafias, corrupt systems or irregularities. Any irregularities in examinations will be investigated impartially, and strict legal action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” said CM Hemant Soren.
He said there would be no politics of declaring anyone guilty without evidence and that justice would be ensured fairly.
Soren said lakhs of young people in Jharkhand were working hard to achieve their dreams, while their parents were spending beyond their means on their education. He said it was the government’s responsibility to respect their efforts and ensure justice for their talent.
“I am aware that questions have been raised regarding recruitment examinations recently; when doubts arise about the examination system, it is not just a single exam that is affected, but the trust of an entire generation,” said Soren.
He said merely identifying those responsible was not a permanent solution and that the government needed to create a system that would prevent anyone from interfering with the future of students.
“With this objective, the government is moving towards comprehensive reforms in the examination system. This will focus on ensuring a time-bound annual exam calendar, a transparent and technology-secure examination system, the timely availability of answer keys and OMR sheets and multi-level accountability within the examination process,” said the Chief Minister.
Soren said the government wanted transparency in examinations to become the norm rather than an exception.
He also appealed to students, teachers, educationists and parents to participate in the reform process through the ‘Chhatron ki Baat - Chhatron ke Saath’ (Students' Voice - With Students) campaign. Suggestions from students will be examined by experts and those in line with rules and constitutional provisions will be considered for implementation, he said.
Meanwhile, students protesting alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations took out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ on Saturday to mark Independence Day. Thousands of job aspirants and others joined the march carrying the national flag and raising slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Mahto, who has been on a 14-day hunger strike, was allegedly stopped by police from leaving Sadar Hospital to join the march. A video circulating on social media purportedly showed Mahto having a scuffle with police while trying to leave the hospital premises. He was admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated on August 10.
