2 weeks ago
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With the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-Under Graduate (UG) 2026 examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts this entranceway exam, has yet again travel nether the scanner for its alleged lax operational capacity, porous cybersecurity, and mediocre situation communication, according to experts.
Since its instauration successful 2013, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is present for the archetypal clip facing a full-scale cancellation and retest, though it has had a rocky tally with a constricted retest successful 2024 for 1,563 candidates who had received grace marks owed to nonaccomplishment of exam clip astatine definite centres, and allegations each twelvemonth from assorted States connected impersonation; candidates and coaching institutes paying ample sums to get leaked question papers and reply keys earlier the test; photos of papers taken and circulated with gangs distributing prepared answers for students to rapidly memorise earlier the exam began; suspiciously precocious scores and ostentation successful ranking; and ‘organised cheating centres’.
The NEET is simply a nationwide entranceway exam for admittance to implicit 10 undergraduate aesculapian courses successful India. It is 1 of the world’s largest entranceway exams with 20-24 lakh candidates taking it annually for implicit 2.5 lakh seats crossed each courses that usage NEET scores.
In 2013, NEET-UG was conducted for the archetypal time. In 2014-2015, admissions to aesculapian courses temporarily went backmost to abstracted State and backstage aesculapian entranceway exams, but a twelvemonth aboriginal the Supreme Court revived NEET and the exam is present conducted by the NTA, which took implicit from the Central Board of Secondary Education successful 2019.
Speaking of respective risks successful the NEET-UG exam strategy Rajeev Jayadevan, erstwhile president of the Indian Medical Association (Kochi) explained that NEET-UG exam centres are dispersed crossed galore sites successful India and abroad.
“While anti-cheating information measures astatine introspection centres are keeping up with the times, the aged schoolhouse mode of pen-and-paper introspection itself appears to beryllium the anemic nexus successful the chain. The question insubstantial has to beryllium physically printed, distributed, stored, and transported to idiosyncratic centres — each is simply a constituent of vulnerability wherever a leak tin occur. Even a azygous photograph of the question insubstantial is capable to breach the system. Given the precocious request and imaginable for amerciable monetary gains, specified leaks volition apt hap again unless the strategy is changed,’’ Dr. Jayadevan said.
With galore different examinations already successful the integer format, it’s clip to upgrade the NEET-UG strategy to a computer-based level truthful that the fig of imaginable points of breached information are acold fewer, and the organisation is encrypted, Dr. Jayadevan added. Students of the contiguous procreation are acold much digitally literate than those of the past, and a modulation to a integer format should not beryllium difficult, helium said, with different experts besides calling for stronger integer security, decentralisation of admissions, allowing aggregate attempts per year, and a hybrid tally, which includes aptitude and schoolhouse scores.
Merely cancelling the exam cannot beryllium the last solution to specified a monolithic scam, Lakshya Mittal, chairperson, United Doctors Front, said. “This is not the archetypal clip that superior allegations and irregularities person surfaced regarding NEET examinations. Repeated incidents implicit the years intelligibly bespeak the beingness of a deep-rooted nexus and systemic nonaccomplishment which cannot beryllium ignored immoderate longer,” Dr. Mittal said.
Doctors and healthcare experts are present demanding a high-level, time-bound, and transparent probe into the full matter. Previously, following the contention astir the 2024 NEET-UG insubstantial leak and irregularities, the Central authorities and NTA introduced a bid of reforms, including the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 which criminalises insubstantial leaks, cheating syndicates, impersonation, and organised exam fraud; the instauration of a high-level betterment committee to reappraisal the functioning of the NTA and urge structural reforms; and a projected displacement to digital/hybrid exams and enhanced cybersecurity measures.
