Not ‘NEET’

Going through competitive examinations in India is a test of resilience for students at most times and a defence against the dark arts of anxiety, stress, and now paper leaks, at all other times. Troubled times do lie ahead for scores of aspirants whose futures have been left out to dry. The recent fiasco surrounding the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test-Under-graduate (NEET-UG) and University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC–NET) has left lakhs of students in a tizzy.

Every year, only a few thousand medical and engineering seats in government colleges are up for grabs; and vying for them are lakhs of students. This year, there are around 110,000 seats, of which about half are at government colleges. Many seats are reserved under various quotas, making the competition for merit-based general quota seats an intense one. Not getting one of these coveted seats would mean being subjected to extortion by private colleges that demand fees several times more than those at government ones. The great Indian dream still remains the landing of medical, engineering, or government jobs; explaining why every year the number of available student seats or job vacancies witness manifold applications. In the last few weeks, we have seen those dreams break into smithereens with the NEET results embroiled in charges of paper leaks, discrepancies, and purported corruption.

This year’s NEET exams made history as 67 students had a perfect score of 720 marks while several others scored between the 650-680 marks; a hitherto unusual phenomenon. Over 24 lakh students appeared for NEET this year across 4,750 centres located in 571 cities, including 14 non-Indian cities (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bangkok, Colombo, Doha, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Lagos, Manama, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah, and Singapore). On receiving these results, students protested citing irregularities and opacity surrounding awarding of “grace marks” to select students for delays at exam centres and a Physics question that had two answers! Even as the National Testing Agency (NTA) refuted allegations of irregularities, the Supreme Court cancelled the compensatory marks and allowed 1,563 students to take the test again on June 23. The apex court has also allowed counselling of students to commence on July 6 as planned. Adding fuel to the ongoing fire, the recently conducted UGC-NET examinations have also been cancelled after government cyber teams raised concerns that the integrity of the examinations has been “compromised”. A rude shock to 9 lakh candidates who had appeared for UGC-NET across 317 cities.

NEET owes its origins to 2012 when it was suggested by the Medical Council of India (MCI). After several arguments, legal battles, and changes, NEET was finally introduced in 2013, replacing AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test) and other state-level examinations — the aim of a single, nationwide examination for all aspiring medical students. But when processes that have been set up to instil faith and confidence come crashing down, there is an immediate need to assess, plug the holes, and move forward with a strengthened system. A leaky boat will not stay afloat for long and if the older issues of paper leaks or cheating find their way back, then accept that the systemic issues are too complex and deep-rooted to resolve. Then raze it to the ground, and start anew. NEET came into existence to root out widespread unscrupulous practices such as exorbitant capitation fees and to simplify the process for students. Similarly goals were set for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), UGC-NET, and Common University Entrance Test (CUET). But when the well-fought transparency exposes cracks, Indian authorities have a crisis at hand. And hanging in the balance is the mental health and future of numerous students. Do remember that annually, several students die by suicide unable to handle the insurmountable stress and unrealistic targets. It is high time to rethink this system; we need more medical and engineering seats, more reputed educational institutes that offer quality education available at affordable fees, more scholarships and endowments to help students — we need to rewrite the archaic system.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal