Unpacking the Meo conundrum in Nuh district's education crisis

A similar story, with marginal differences of degree, unfolds year after year. Yet, the causes of gross underperformance remain to be addressed with the nuance and empathy they deserve. This year's results came with a peculiar twist—the crackdown on mass copying.

- NAVNEET SHARMA AND FURQAN QAMAR

As the 12th Class results of the Haryana Board of School Education of 2025 were announced, one of Haryana's districts again found itself at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. It's Nuh district, formerly known as Mewat, recorded the lowest pass percentage in the state—a mere 45.76 percent, a significant decline from the previous year's 56.83 percent.

The issue, however, goes far beyond examination scores. It draws attention to deep-seated socio-economic inequalities, systemic policy failures, and stubborn stereotypes that have long burdened the region. This is not as much the story of students failing in the board examination year after year as it is about the inability of the administration to address the issues concerning systemic failures.

The district's dismal educational performance is neither new nor accidental. A similar story, with marginal differences of degree, unfolds year after year. Yet, the causes of gross underperformance remain to be addressed with the nuance and empathy they deserve.

This year's results came with a peculiar twist—the crackdown on mass copying.

Organised cheating rackets flourished in the region for years, with local middlemen facilitating malpractices during examinations. Reportedly, parents used to pool as much as Rs. 2 lakh to channel the accumulated sum to thonda, a kind of people with influence, to ensure that their children are allowed to use unfair means.

This year, however, that was not to be. The administration came down heavily on such malpractices. This is claimed to have exposed the raw state of learning in schools, leaving many students unprepared to face exams on merit. While some parents viewed this as a wake-up call, others lamented the loss of a well-established 'alternative route'.