NEET-UG and UGC-NET results have sparked anger and protest across the country, owing to its all-time-high number of students obtaining full marks. Student organisations and political parties are calling for the Centre to take serious action.
Story: Avani Kulshreshtha
Edit: Nitya Kaimal
NEET-UG and UGC-NET have been a hot topic of debate across the country this week, owing to scandals in the conduction of these national-level exams. The Supreme Court has denied stalling the counselling process for NEET-UG despite clear evidence of irregularities and question paper leaks in various centres, claiming that the paper leaks were isolated incidents, constricted to Gujarat, Bihar, and Haryana. UGC-National Eligibility Test too was cancelled on 19th June, just a day after the exam was held.
The NEET-UG conspiracy started when the results were announced on June 4, and people realised that over 67 students scored 720/720, against the average of only two to three students per year. Moreover, many of these perfect scorers belonged to the same examination centre, suggesting that there had been some use of unfair means during the examination. Additionally, grace marks were awarded to over 1,560 students for non-transparent reasons.
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In Bihar, four NEET aspirants were arrested for their involvement in a paper leak and have reportedly confessed that the question paper was leaked on the eve of the exam, with the gang charging up to ₹32 lakh for the leaked material. This has led to numerous petitions across various courts, including the Supreme Court.
Protests have erupted across the country, with different student bodies and the opposition parties demanding a probe and re-conduction of these examinations. About two dozen students who were protesting near the Ministry of Education and the Education Minister’s residence were arrested. This has also induced anxiety among the students, whose futures depend on these results.
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The Congress called for a nationwide protest against the government and demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the education minister. In response to the mounting pressure, the Union government on Friday announced the formation of a high-level committee to recommend enhancements to the structure, processes, data management, and security protocols of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the organisation responsible for conducting both these examinations. This committee will include technocrats, scientists, educational administrators, and academics.
Following these incidents, Dharmendra Pradhan talked about the government’s commitment to transparency in the examination process, claiming that irregularities will not be tolerated and that the government will look into it. While some welcome the decision to set up a committee, others argue that this has been done only to stall the protests and encourage a false sense of security amongst the students and that this step is insufficient.
Such a big controversy invites further investigation to make sure that the students have a secure future. These incidents also highlight the urgent need for a deeper investigation and reformation of national-level examinations in the country.
*दलित टाइम्स उन करोड़ो लोगो की आवाज़ है जिन्हें हाशिए पर रखा गया है। *
महिला, दलित और आदिवासियों के मुद्दों पर केंद्रित पत्रकारिता करने और मुख्यधारा की मीडिया में इनका प्रतिनिधित्व करने के लिए हमें आर्थिक सहयोग करें।
