The SSC paper leak crisis and India’s slowing job market that could cost Modi another term!

The SSC paper leak protests in New Delhi have shaken the nation once again over the legitimacy of India’s government job exam structure and whether these exams hold any transparency at all? Many students over the years have alleged that their exam paper leaks right before the examination or during it. This is now a norm for unscrupulous elements to get through the exam and the government is still silent on this lapse.

What they fail to understand is that millions of aspirants from all over the country are collectively spending millions of rupees on this structure and the government is answerable to their woes! The candidates began protesting in New Delhi days after the Staff Selection Commission said that it would conduct a ‘retest’ for those who took the Combined Graduate-Level Examination (GCL) on February 21, 2017. Citing “technical reasons”, the SSC board made the announcement on February 24 and scheduled the re-examination for March 9. What a joke! Don’t forget that the exam paper was allegedly leaked on social media. The students are not at fault, the SSC is! Another round of exams means the students spend more money from their pockets on travel, lodging and other expenses for no fault of their own!

Aspirants keep alleging that “mass cheating” is rampant in the government examinations and said the question papers get leaked online beforehand. They also accused the Staff Selection Commission board of blatant corruption in the way it conducts the exams and said that coaching institutes ‘pay’ to get their candidates selected; which simply means most of the millions already lost their chance to this ‘seat buying’.

What is SSC?

• The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is a government of India organization which is involved in recruiting staff at multiple levels in various ministries and central government departments, including their subordinate offices.
• It conducts examinations and interviews for recruitment to various posts within its purview. Every year, the commission conducts a graduate level exam, commonly known as SSC CGL (Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level examination). This exam is one of the most coveted and sought after exams in the country. Clearing this exam is considered an achievement in itself.

What is the SSC CGL exam?

The SSC CGL exam is held to fill clerk posts in various government offices mentioned above. The examination mode is explained as follows:

• Tier I: Computer Based Examination
• Tier II: Computer Based Examination
• Tier III: Pen and Paper Mode (Descriptive paper)
• Tier IV: Computer Proficiency Test/ Skill Test (wherever applicable)/document verification

Lakhs of candidates set CGL as their target due to the job and financial stability it promises and the work life benefits it offers over private jobs.

Why were the candidates protesting?

• The examination was carried out during February 17 to February 21, however, it was reported that the screenshots of the question paper along with the correct answers went viral on social media (Facebook) much before the exam was over!
• The February 21 test was “delayed” and “candidates faced inconveniences because of “incomplete downloading of data”, as per the Staff Selection Commission. However, they were silent on the paper leak issue.
• Thousands of candidates had been protesting outside the SSC office at Lodhi Road, New Delhi since February 27 to demand fora CBI inquiry into the paper leak issue with which the Education ministry has complied.

CBI Enquiry is fine, but what about the mental and financial harassment the aspirants face? Here are some facts which can tell you what the aspirants generally endure:

India’s job market is at its lowest rung in the ladder currently! Modi’s challenge to boost employment since his mandate came into being has fallen flat on its face because India is reporting the lowest ever employment in history! Let’s take a look at what the students ‘hopeful’ of ‘securing’ a government job are facing:

• India ranks a miserable 103 out of 130 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Human Capital Report 2017, published on Sept 13, 2017. Its youth literacy rate is 89 percent, which is well behind the other leading emerging markets. We also have the world’s largest employment gender gaps.
• A report by Lucas Chancel and Thomas Piketty outlines that the top 1 percent of India’s population hold an unprecedented 22 percent of the nation’s wealth, while the middle 40 percent benefited the least as compared with China, France, and the U.S. over 1980-2014. This is a major reason why private jobs are now more in vogue as compared to government jobs. Furthermore, the disinvestment in PSUs is a direct result of this since private holders technically hold more money than the government!
• According to India Skills Report launched in the 3rd CII National Conference on Skill Development, 96 percent candidates were found unemployable out of the total 100,000 candidates. This is not good if they are to be given the task of being bureaucrats. They’ll lead the country into what it was during the Independence days!
• Making matters worse, less than half the candidates who were trained by the National Skill Development Corporation-under the government's flagship scheme 'Skill India' over the last two fiscals have reportedly landed jobs. Shocking!
• According to the World Bank, 30.8% of India's population aged between 15 and 29 years are NEETs (Not in education, employment or training).
• Some of the surplus labor in agriculture has moved (known as labor absorbing) to either secondary or the tertiary sector. Very few students now study for government jobs because they find it better to earn from a small scale manufacturing unit rather than sit and hope for a government job.
• The labor ministry reports that seventy-seven percent of the families in India reportedly have no regular wage earner and more than 67 percent have income less than ₹10,000 per month. This means that a lot of Indian youth are jobless. The NITI Aayog’s Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that ‘educated’ unemployment among India's youth may be as high as 20%.
• Around 58 percent of unemployed graduates and 62 percent of unemployed postgraduates cited non-availability of jobs matching with education/skill and experience as the main reason for unemployment.
• As per the National Skill Development Mission Document, as much as 97 percent of the workforce in India has not undergone formal skill training; this includes government jobs too.
• About 76 percent of the households did not benefit from employment generating schemes like MGNREGA, PMEGP, SGSY, SJSRY, etc.
• India's organized sector created just over 1,100 jobs a day in 2016-17 and this was just 2% higher than 2015-16! Not enough to provide jobs for all!

These facts are startling! This ‘jobless growth’ in India is a reality! 10 million: That is the exact number of jobs that Narendra Modi had promised the youth of this country! However, if you look at facts, India currently has over 18 million unemployed people, out of which India could create only about 823,000 jobs in the last 4 years of Modi’s government. Would you still vote for Modi after reading this fact? Maybe not!

Vishal Sikka CEO of Infosys has already hinted that more than half the current workforce in the IT/ BPO sector of India may become redundant in a few years, but the government is silent! Modi still believes that the informal sector is doing well by being supported by initiatives such as the Mudra Loan scheme. However, if everyone was to go for self-employment, what is the government here for? Lollipop distribution?

India’s job aspirants need to wake up! They should gauge the air and understand that these exams are just an option for them. You make it you win; you break it, you lose precious years of your life! Over the years, no government has done anything to alleviate the woes of job seekers in the country. It is up to you now make yourself and your skills better.

Chase the government for your rights because the onus is now on you. The government is asleep! Maybe your responsible vote in the other direction can wake it up!