Patna,(BiharTimes): A newspaper photo and a few shots shown in the TV channels virtually cancelled out all the efforts made to brand the state through three-day Bihar Diwas––from march 22 to 24.

Apparently there was little new in those pictures yet they greatly exposed the Nitish government’s failure to check unfair means in matric exam. With the help of the same media and friends in the BJP (till June 16, 2013) Nitish tried to cultivate a good image of Bihar.

As if that was not enough, on March 19 came the statement of his education minister P K Shahi. He went on to concede that the government can not stop mass copying without the cooperation of the people. But what he left unsaid is as to why his own officals, invigilators and policemen are not cooperating with the state government.

Honestly speaking unfair means did not start on March 17, 2015, when the matric exam started, but about five decades ago, when cameras were not so ubiquituous.This helplessness on the part of the education minister compelled the chief minister to order strict action against all those indulging in unfair means. The Patna high court too flayed the remarks. Ever since March 20 Nitish has been busy in the damage limitation exercise––be it while addressing the entrepreneurs on March 21 or on the occasion of Bihar Diwas on March 22.

No doubt, practising unfair means is nearly a national phenomenon now. But it is also true that in the election year the government goes soft towards the examinees for obvious political reasons.Be it during the students unrest of late 1960s or JP’s Total Revolution days of 1974-75 efforts were made by the authorities to weaken the movement. When the exam boycott call was given in mid-1970s the state government allowed open book system. Those keen to appear were ferried to the exam cetnres in police vans with full protection.

They were allowed to carry books and copies so that they could copy as much as they can. But then the cameras were not there. Those pictures would have certainly evoked much greater global
response than now.The objective was simple: to neutralize the exam boycott call.

However, when the Emergency was clamped the same government cracked the whip.What has changed in Bihar in the last one decade needs to be discussed objectively. If the situation has really turned from bad to worse––on this count at least––Nitish, his former friends in the BJP and the same media are largely responsible––not just the people.

True cheating was common in the pre-Nitish years too, but the media used to highlight it. Bihar got the name of badland even though somethings were still good. The teaching standard in some government schools was still somewhat satisfactory and students of Bihar board would do better in the national level competitions than now.

In contrast in the last one decade, the condition of school buildings has improved. Students get uniforms, cycles and books. Along with them, the centrally sponsored Mid-day Meal scheme have helped increase the enrollment.

But the first and the most important casualty was the standard of education. Schools turned into dens of loot––corruption would be euphemism. All these happened over the years. Yet those in saffron brigade and in the Press continued to praise to sky all the ‘good efforts’ being made by the Nitish government. As hardwares––school buildings, hostels, libraries, cycles etc––help mint money all efforts were made on them. Nobody was bothered about software, that is education.

In the last 10 years the whole machinery became so rotten that many among objective Bihar-watchers started seeing something good in the previous governments. The situation has reached to such a pass that matric examinees have been left with little option but to rely entirely on mass copying. They have hardly been taught. The irony is that the friends and relatives of the candidates cover 50-odd kms to help them as the centres have been spread all over the districts.

As the JD(U)-BJP alliance was too powerful and media-houses giving rewards to the state chief minister every now and then, even honest and bold journalists and photographers were not daring to take risk.Now that the two friends have got split and the state government has become weak the media sometimes ventures to expose the failure.Yet the newspaper photographer whose photo evoked global
interest could not get byline. Perhaps he did not risk to be identified.The photo showed how some people––risking their lives––climbed to the windows of the third floor of a school building in Vaishali district to pass chits inside.