Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Thursday, 30 July declared that India's education system has collapsed under the weight of rampant paper leaks and large-scale corruption, with Maharashtra identified as the epicentre of the crisis. The charge came through a sharply worded editorial in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana', cataloguing a pattern of examination fraud, politically motivated university appointments, and financial scams that the party argues have gutted public trust in academic institutions.

The Paper Leak Epidemic

The editorial documented over ten examination paper leaks in Maharashtra within a single month, including breaches in the MHT-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test). Viral audio and video recordings, it said, exposed systematic malpractice — candidates who scored between 40 and 50 per cent in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics at the Class 12 board level reportedly secured 98, 99, or 100 per cent in the CET. A viral audio clip, cited in the editorial, featured a woman allegedly offering access to 'special examination centres' for ₹12 lakh, with a guaranteed score of 99 per cent. 'Paper leaks and grade theft are happening openly in broad daylight. Education is the foundation of society, and if the system collapses, society will collapse along with it,' the editorial warned.

Worse Than NEET, the Party Claims

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction asserted that public confidence in Maharashtra's examination machinery has been completely eroded — a situation it described as worse than the national NEET paper leak scandal. The party attributed the decay in academic standards to the political appointment of unqualified Vice-Chancellors, whom it alleged are aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It argued that state universities are being run to advance partisan agendas rather than merit-based academic goals.

Key Corruption Instances Cited

The editorial named specific cases to substantiate its claims. It pointed to a multi-crore financial discrepancy involving the Vice-Chancellor of Parbhani Agricultural University, whom the state government is reportedly shielding from accountability. It also cited the arrest of BJP leader Sanjay Garud from Jalgaon in connection with the ₹160-crore 'Shalarth ID' scam, which relates to fraudulent salary disbursements within the education department.

Textbook Revision and Brain Drain Concerns

The party's critique extended to the Centre, accusing it of revising history textbooks to reflect the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while allegedly erasing the contributions of Congress, Left, and Socialist leaders from narratives of India's freedom struggle. The editorial further suggested that pressure to conform to what it described as unscientific ideologies was driving researchers and scientists to exit premier institutions, including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Equity Divide and What Must Change

Shiv Sena (UBT) drew a stark contrast between underprivileged students — whose families take loans to afford coaching classes — and wealthy aspirants who, it alleged, purchase leaked papers or pay to access manipulated test centres. Pune, once celebrated as Maharashtra's academic capital, has, the editorial stated, 'been defamed as a hub for paper leaks.' The party criticised the state government for repeatedly forming special investigation teams as a substitute for structural reform. The editorial closed with a pointed warning: history will not forgive leaders who fail to act before the education system reaches a point of no return.