NEET, NET Controversy: Testing Times For India’s Education System

The recent controversy surrounding NEET and NET exams reveals deep-seated issues in India’s education system, exposing the fragility of national-level public examinations and the dreams of millions of aspirants

Photo via Ravi Choudhary (PTI)NSUI activists raise slogans during their Chhattra Sansad Gherav protest against the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG and cancellation of UGC-NET exams, in New Delhi, Monday, June 24, 2024. Photo via Ravi Choudhary (PTI)

What happens to a country like India when a national-level public examination with lakhs of aspirants participating in it suddenly reveals cracks in the education system?

The dreams of close to 13 lakh aspirants were stalled when a flurry of reports of malpractices, exam postponement and cancellations emerged around medical entrance NEET and other examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Investigations are on and Centre on Saturday sacked NTA chief Subodh Singh over the flak it has received. However, there isn’t any clarity on what happens to the dreams of the aspirants.

It all began on May 5 when an alleged paper leak case came to light during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024. On the day of the exam, the Patna Police arrested four individuals on suspicion of a paper leak. They arrested nine more people later and the case was transferred to Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit. Additionally, there was an outrage regarding awarding grace marks to 1,563 students who were compensated for “loss of time”.

Then, on the day of the exam results – June 4, also the day of Lok Sabha results – a massive uproar broke out among several aspirants and parents demanding a probe and seeking a “re-exam” over the alleged paper leak at multiple centres where students got high scores. As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720 this year, which is unprecedented in the NTA’s history, raising suspicions about irregularities. It was also alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

Amid litigation and protests in different parts of the country on the issue of alleged irregularities, three more public exams – UGC-NET, CSIR-UGC NET, and now NEET PG – were cancelled or postponed, stirring an unprecedented row over the agency’s functioning. As a result, the Education Ministry removed Subodh Kumar Singh as NTA Director General and put him on “compulsory wait” in the Department of Personnel and Training. It notified a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of NTA examinations.

Courtesy : Outlook

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