OPINION | The Gen Z blueprint for good governance: Why India’s youth are redefining accountability in education

For years, the Centre has emphasised the merits of good governance. That is exactly what the CJP protests are about—accountability and good governance. To this end, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is a step in the right direction.

Accountability brings transparency in decision-making, responsibility towards citizens, and competency in the legislature—all things that the Centre should rightfully embrace and aspire towards. Reforms in education are long overdue, such as university appointments, course curricula, and most importantly, preventing future paper leaks. 

The issue of exam paper leaks had long plagued the country but the scale and frequency of the leaks has now reached unprecedented levels. This is in conjunction with rising cost of living year-by-year and a sky-high urban youth unemployment rate of 15 per cent in India, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Exams are one of the few avenues in India for upward social mobility and the issue of leaks caps the dreams of crores of aspirants for a better life. 

India continues to remain a young country with 65 per cent of our population under the age of 30.

Those born between 1996 and 2012—otherwise known as Gen Z—have on the one hand, aspirations that have grown through social media access, better transport and communications, and on the other hand, avenues for achieving those aspirations which are closing tighter, despite their best attempts through a system that is failing them.

The very origin of the CJP protest and its name exemplifies the disillusionment of the youth, when the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant uttered the word ‘cockroaches’, which was readily adopted by the movement.

A media that continued to focus on culture wars rather than economic issues and a government that refused to take accountability for national-level paper leaks under its watch combined to create an outpouring of support for the “Sansad Chalo” march on July 20 that was accompanied by similar protests all over the country.

And that is what makes this protest unique—it is not partisan. The issue of paper leaks cuts across party lines, and affects all.

It seems that the students have also done well to take notes from past protest movements in India and abroad: keeping discipline within the protestors' ranks, exercising non-violent restraint in the face of lathi charges, and maintaining a limit on the slogans that can be chanted.

This kept the focus on the issue and did not allow the protest to devolve into a mob or invite greater police involvement. India’s age-old tradition of non-violent and satyagraha protest pioneered by Mahatma Gandhi was on powerful display.

In particular, the fast of Sonam Wangchuk played a pivotal role in rallying the focus of the nation on the issue of the NEET paper leak. Students continued to take inspiration from stalwarts and leaders of the past like Babasaheb Ambedkar and slogans like 'Pradhan Go Back!' that hark back to the 1927 protest of 'Simon Go Back!' against the all-white Simon Commission.

In this atmosphere, the use of state instruments like the lathi charge, pellet guns, expired tear gas shells and the internet blackout in the Jantar Mantar area backfired.

They only show how far the government has moved from its aspirational vision of good governance. Students from Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were also instructed not to participate in the movement to undermine the organic participation of the protestors.

However, Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly without arms, putting such movements well within the legal guardrails of the Constitution.

Gen Z in India have long been caricatured as ‘keyboard warriors’ and ‘Instagram influencers’ with no real willingness to participate in the grind of a real protest. This protest changed that image. The apolitical and perpetually online Gen Z came to have their voice heard.

Their demands are as basic and fair as the contract between government and citizens can be—the rights to education, protest, fair employment opportunities, accountability in governance, and action against corruption.

The government would do well to engage with the movement and this could be a wake-up call for initiating accountability and positive reforms across the board.

Rajesh Mehta is an international affairs expert working on innovation and public policy. Kushagra Dalal is a researcher.