NEW DELHI (AFP) – Growing up with a chronically ill mother in a remote village in India, Rema Begum aspired to become a doctor until her dream was cut short by her own tragic death._x000D_
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After years of studying and costly coaching classes, the 20-year-old believed she had finally done enough to win a coveted seat at a government medical school._x000D_
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Then came news that the question paper of the medical entrance examination she sat for had been leaked, and a retest was ordered._x000D_
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Days later, Begum was dead._x000D_
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She was among at least 20 students who reportedly took their own lives after the incident, according to local media and activists._x000D_
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The exam paper leak, alongside a string of other irregularities, has fuelled nationwide protests and public anger over an education system many students say is stacked against them._x000D_
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A month after her death, Begum’s father Rajaul Islam is still struggling to understand how his “gem” of a daughter lost hope._x000D_
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But he believes the retest announcement changed everything._x000D_
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“After the exam, she was absolutely confident that she would clear it,” Islam told AFP by phone from the family’s village in the northeastern state of Assam._x000D_
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“But after a retest was announced because the paper had leaked, she became a different person and withdrew into a shell.”_x000D_
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Nothing the family said could reassure her, he said._x000D_
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Islam, a fish trader, had spent heavily on his daughter’s preparation, sending her to coaching centres in larger cities for two years._x000D_
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“I had spent a lot of money on her studies, so she was worried it would all go to waste,” he said._x000D_
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‘Happy life’_x000D_
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Days before the new exam date, Begum was found dead._x000D_
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Her death highlights the immense pressures on students in India, where admission to a government-run medical college remains one of the most sought after pathways to economic security._x000D_
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Despite rapid growth in the world’s most populous country, millions of young people still face a shortage of well-paying jobs and fierce competition for professional careers._x000D_
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“Getting through the NEET examination therefore means, for many families, the assurance of a happy and comfortable life,” said literary scholar and former professor G.N. Devy, referring to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)._x000D_
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“But the number of students who want these places is completely out of proportion to the number of institutions available.”_x000D_
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More than two million candidates sat the exam this year, competing for roughly 137,000 medical seats nationwide._x000D_
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The odds have fuelled a sprawling coaching industry where students spend years preparing, often at enormous sacrifice for their families._x000D_
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In Rajasthan, farmer Rajesh Kumar sold ancestral land and borrowed 1.1 million rupees ($11,400) so his son Pradeep Meena could attend coaching classes for three years._x000D_
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“I toiled for up to 16 hours a day on the farm so that he could take coaching classes,” Kumar told AFP._x000D_
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“Because I thought if he becomes a doctor it would all be worth it, and I could lead a comfortable life in my old age.”_x000D_
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After the exam, Meena appeared certain he had succeeded._x000D_
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Kumar recalled his son hugging him and saying that “even God cannot stop me from becoming a doctor now”._x000D_
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A day after authorities announced the retest, the 22-year-old died by suicide._x000D_
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‘Betrayed’_x000D_
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In Uttar Pradesh, another family suffered a similar loss after the death of their 21-year-old son Ritik Mishra._x000D_
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“It was his third attempt, and he said he had done well this time,” said his father, Anup Kumar Mishra, referring to the exam._x000D_
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His son took his own life a day after news of the exam leak surfaced._x000D_
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For students who eventually retook the test, the experience was draining._x000D_
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“It is very demoralising mentally,” said 19-year-old Chaitanya Aggarwal._x000D_
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“You give your best and then you are forced to take it again.”_x000D_
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Teachers say the emotional toll should not be underestimated._x000D_
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“It’s a highly stressful experience to prepare for and take the exam, and having to do it all over again is not easy,” said Abhijit Patra, a teacher at a coaching centre in the eastern city of Kolkata._x000D_
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“Paper leaks make an already hectic experience even worse.”_x000D_
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For many families, the scandal felt like a “betrayal” after years of sacrifice, said Devy, the former professor._x000D_
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Preparing for entrance examinations was often financially ruinous and socially exhausting, he said, particularly for lower-income households unable to afford costly private universities or education abroad._x000D_
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“They begin this journey of preparation with hope, so when they discover the paper has leaked or been sold, they feel betrayed,” Devy said._x000D_
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Thousands of kilometres from the protest site in capital New Delhi, Begum’s family is still searching for answers._x000D_
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“I request the government to take irregularities in examinations seriously,” her father said._x000D_
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“They should understand that it is not easy for a child from a poor family to dream of a better life and work towards it.”
