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23-06-2024
Bureau Report + Agencies
NEW DELHI: Led by State NSUI president and MLC Venkat Balmoor, several student organizations tried to barge into the residence of Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday, demanding Central government to conduct the NEET examination again and also order a judicial inquiry into it.
Hundreds of activists held the protest after they were refused a meeting with the Minister to discuss and submit a memorandum on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate exam 2024 conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The protesting activists were detained by the police and taken to Nallakunta police station.
Venkat Balmoor later posted on ‘X’ that they requested for an appointment seeking justice to the students but when permission was refused, the student activists tried to lay siege to the Minister’s house. He demanded that NTA should conduct an inquiry with a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and the Central Government apologize to over two million NEET aspirants.
A major medical entrance exam in India has sparked widespread outrage, protests, and allegations of cheating after an unusually high number of candidates scored top marks this year.
The NEET-UG exam is essential for gaining admission to medical colleges across the country. It is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), a government body responsible for some of India’s most significant examinations.
Each year, millions of students sit for NEET, but only a small fraction secure the high marks needed for college placement. This year, however, the problem was exacerbated by an unexpected surge in top scores, which disrupted the ranking system and made it challenging even for high-achieving students to secure spots.
This year the test saw over 2.4 million candidates competing for 100,000 spots. The results showed 67 students scoring a perfect 720 marks, a significant increase from previous years.
This spike in top scores, along with arrests related to alleged paper leaks and cheating scandals, has raised suspicions about the exam’s fairness.
The NEET results showed not only a rise in perfect scores but also an unusual number of students scoring in the high range of 650-680 marks.
This disparity has led to accusations of paper leaks and the unfair awarding of grace marks.
The NTA defended the high scores by attributing them to a larger candidate pool and the provision of grace marks for students who faced issues during the exam.
Since the announcement of results on June 4, the exam has come under intense scrutiny due to alleged errors in the question papers, improper awarding of grace marks, and claims of paper leaks and fraud. In response, students and parents have called for a re-examination and have filed numerous petitions in courts to demand justice.
On June 19, the Indian government cancelled the National Eligibility Test (NET) for public-funded research fellowships following reports of question leaks on the darknet. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan acknowledged the leaks but did not specify how the breaches occurred.
He assured that a reform committee would be established to address the issue, emphasizing the government’s commitment to transparency and student welfare.
Opposition leaders and legal experts have criticized the government’s handling of the situation. They argue that the NTA has failed in its mandate to conduct secure and fair examinations.
