It is no surprise that the exam paper leak issue is likely to figure prominently in the Congress party manifesto. After all, the party has decided to focus on unemployment in the upcoming Lok Sabha election campaign. Congress party sources said that monetary compensation for candidates affected by paper leaks is being mooted.
Repeated question paper leaks have resulted in cancellation of several examinations across states. The party is looking at a proposal which involves payment of monetary compensation to candidates affected by paper leaks and cancellation of competitive examinations.
The Congress manifesto committee, headed by former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, is also said to be looking at the apprenticeship model of Germany and adapting it to Indian conditions. The committee is reportedly in the final stages of drafting the manifesto document.
Apprenticeship model
The German dual education model involves a vocational education and training system where youngsters can work as well as study at a vocational school.
The Congress hopes the apprenticeship model will appeal to the urban youth and is working out details such as the duration of the apprenticeship and the stipend. In India, the private and public sector will both be involved in the initiative.
“The model will give the young people the headstart for a job… They will become more employable… It is also like the right to a job. Anybody can demand and get a job for a year,” sources said.
To deal with the grave paper leak problem, the Central government has come out with a law that mandates harsher punishment for “organised” paper leaks. The law defines the offence as an “unlawful activity committed by a person or a group of persons indulging in unfair means in collusion and conspiracy to pursue or promote a shared interest for wrongful gain in respect of a public examination”.
The Congress party is also likely to put in place an enabling environment to help the youth set up startups and businesses.
It has repeatedly criticised the government over joblessness. Addressing a rally in Gwalior on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi said the youth unemployment rate in India is higher than countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The ruling party has often put forward a counter argument that as per the last Periodic Labour Force Survey for the period July 2022 to July 2023, the unemployment rate has fallen significantly — from 6.6 per cent to 5.1 per cent.
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