Internet Shutdown to Prevent Cheating in Exams

Imagine a country shutting down the Internet to prevent students from using it to cheat in public examinations.

Extraordinary as it may seem, there is a case pending before the Indian Supreme Court that is challenging a recent shutdown of the Internet for that very reason. Nor is this the first time that such a challenge was raised in the Indian courts. In March last year, a Calcutta resident challenged an Internet suspension order, which was issued by the State Government of West Bengal. The order, ostensibly issued for reasons of preventing ‘unlawful activities’, was actually passed for preventing cheating in Class 10 Board Examinations. The date and time for the Internet suspension mentioned in the order coincided exactly with the schedule for the examinations. However, the fact that the Internet was suspended to prevent cheating was only revealed by the government lawyer during oral arguments in court.

It is not uncommon for countries to order an Internet shutdown (although I don't recollect such actions being taken in this country). Shutting down the internet is a drastic step that must be employed only when there is clear evidence that a shutdown will help preserve public safety or national security. The Internet is more than a space for pastime or idle gossip, nor is it only another channel for the freedom of expression. It is now used in every sphere of life - as a means to keep people connected, to carry out business transactions and to connect with health and education services. Closing down the Internet will affect the livelihood of people and how they live.

But there is a more troubling concern that is raised when the Internet is shut down to prevent cheating in examinations. After ten years of education, the education system seems to have failed to instill the one virtue in its pupils without which the rest of education is meaningless - honesty. Either that or the system and the educators in the system are too lazy or too inept to review time-expired educational processes to keep them abreast of the changing world.