The exam, officially called the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET), is an entryway for people seeking employment in government-run schools. Teaching positions in these primary and secondary schools come with generous benefits and are highly coveted. This year, hundreds of thousands of candidates took the exam. This is not the first time the state shut down the internet to prevent cheating, as the Rajasthan government did so in 2018 during a police constable exam.
Teaching Exam Held for the First Time Since 2018
Rajasthan is one of the largest states in India. This is the first time the state has conducted the exam since 2018, which might explain the massive turnout. Consequently, the government set up thousands of test centers across the state, even providing free transport to people traveling from far-off places. Authorities familiar with the written exam were wary of potential cheating and leaking of questions over the internet. To address this, they ordered districts to issue internet restrictions to prevent any leaks of information. According to a government official, the huge turnout presented a massive challenge. Dinesh Kumar Yadav, Jaipur divisional commissioner said, “There were so many candidates … we just wanted to make sure there wasn’t cheating.” “People tried to cheat but we caught a lot of them. But because of the internet shutdown, the test paper was not leaked out,” he added. Yadav also said that they could not allow any cheating, fearing an aggressive reaction from candidates who did not rely on any unfair means.
Over 25.2 Million People in 10 Districts Affected
The state shut down mobile internet in at least 10 districts. However, several of these regions kept broadband internet going to keep disruption to businesses and daily life to a minimum. Jaipur, the state capital which is home to over 6.6 million people, faced a 9-hour shutdown. Several other major cities and towns, including Alwar, Nagaur, Sikar, and Ajmer, also imposed temporary internet shutdowns. According to the 2011 Indian census, over 25.2 million people reside in the affected regions. The state of Rajasthan is home to over 68 million people.
State Took Additional Measures to Curb Cheating
Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, tweeted a document that contained the other anti-cheating measures that were employed. This included CCTV cameras at all testing centers. Additionally, candidates had to discard their face masks at testing centers, where they were provided new masks. The document added that other allied processes, such as the printing of the test papers, their transportation then distribution to students at the testing center, were closely surveilled and videotaped. Furthermore, any person who leaked the test papers would be immediately fired, and even face potential legal action. In 2018, the government implemented a similar shutdown for a police constable exam. The move brought the state’s banking and logistics industries to a standstill. In 2019, conflict in Kashmir caused the government to shut down the internet there, as well.
