India, June 20 -- India's examination crisis should be recognised as a systemic failure rather than simply a scandal of leakage. The National Testing Agency (NTA) annulled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Under-graduate (NEET-UG) on May 12, days after 22.7 lakh aspirants had already appeared for it. This is the second incident of irregularities in two years. Predictably, India witnessed massive public outrage after the May 12 cancellation, and the Supreme Court stepped in. The issue also became a political contest. However, outrage does not constitute reform. Resignations do not redesign systems. Cancellation, while sometimes necessary, ultimately penalises honest students who have adhered to the rules.

The fundamental issue is...