Written by: Nandini Achhra student of Vivekananda institute of professional studies Delhi, 3rd Year BALLB(H)
Introduction
The National Eligibility Entrance Test for Undergraduates is one of the toughest medical entrance examinations across India. Conducted once a year by the National Testing Agency, NEET-UG is a doorway to undergraduate medical courses such as MBBS and BDS, AYUSH courses, and BVSc & AH. This 11 language-examination has emerged to be a single national-level test for admissions into medical and dental colleges of the country. What was earlier managed by the CBSE, NEET-UG has emerged as a critical examination milestone for aspiring medical students hailing from India.
NEET-UG 2024 Controversy
Allegations of Misconduct
Approximately 24 lakh students appeared in the NEET-UG 2024 examination on 5th May 2024, that was conducted at 4,750 centers in 571 different cities; including 14 international locations. Results declared on June 4 created quite a uproar. Several issues, such as the grace marks given to more than 1,500 students, an unusually high number of perfect scorers, and reports about a leaked question paper, were raised by aspirants. This year, as many as 67 students of this batch have scored a full 720, a steep rise compared to earlier years: two in 2023, three in 2022, two in 2021 and one in 2020. Of other development, it was found that six of the toppers took the test at the same centre in Haryana, adding fuel to the fire of suspicion.
NTA’s Stand
The NTA responded to this by pointing out that almost 3 lakh more candidates appeared for the 2024 exam than in 2023, so the number of high-scoring students bound to be greater; the base has become very large. They said that the 2024 NEET was easier compared to previous years. On the missing scores from 716 to 719, it was clarified that some candidates, including six of the toppers, got compensatory marks for lost time during the test.
Supreme Court Decision
The controversy reached the courts with the Centre informing the Supreme Court that it has decided to hold a re-exam for the 1,563 students who had been awarded grace marks. This re-exam was held on June 23. The Supreme Court permitted admissions counselling process but ordered that if any of the 1,563 candidates chose to opt out of re-exam, then results for such candidates would be declared without the grace marks.
Government’s Stance
The Union Education Minister termed the irregularities in NEET-UG 2024 as an institutional failure of the NTA. Thereafter, the Central Government announced the constitution of a high-level committee, headed by former ISRO chairman Dr. K. Radhakkrishnan. It shall review the examination processes of the NTA. This seven-member committee has to present its report within two months. The government withdrew the NTA chief, putting him on “compulsory wait” in the Department of Personnel and Training. The CBI took over the probe into the paper leak from Bihar. New rules under The Public Examinations have been notified. (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 Ensuring a Fair Examination System and Creation of a National Examination Integrity Council (NEIC).
Suggestions
- A National Examination Integrity Council should be constituted to oversee that major examinations are conducted with uniform standards and practices in the country. It would undertake, at periodical intervals, audits to ascertain the effectiveness of the system towards best practices and improvement in areas of the examination process, which shall be backed by stringent Standard Operating Procedures and compliance measures.
- Transparent Recruitment and Accountability- The examination bodies need to be staffed with persons of good integrity, purely on merit, to minimize corrupt deals and collusion. There should be whistleblower protection mechanisms in place that would facilitate reporting of malpractices without fear of victimization.
- On-Demand Testing- One can use an on-demand computer-based testing model, essentially similar to the GRE. Students will just go and schedule their exams as and when they wish; hence, the logistical challenges and the risk of leaks will be minimized. The solution lies in developing huge question banks in each subject from which question papers can be prepared that will be significantly different for each candidate, therefore giving no room for cheating.
- Security Measures for Digitalfacet- The blockchain technology could also be used to keep a record of examination processes in an immutable way so that tampering is easily detected. State-of-the-art methods of encryption should be implemented to protect the question papers and information of the candidates from unauthorized access.
- Stringent Enforcement- The ratio of invigilators to students must be decreased to ensure better supervision during exams. Public Examination Act, 2024, should be strictly implemented with severe fines, imprisonment, and lifetime bans from future exams in case of malpractices.
- Secure Transportation and Storage- The transportation of physical examination material should incorporate tamper-evident packaging and GPS tracking. The storage facilities should be highly secure, monitored 24 x 7. Activities covering the entire process at all examination centers through the installation of CCTV cameras will monitor and help in case discrepancies or allegations of malpractice arise.
- Post-Examination Processes- Double-blind evaluation processes, where more than one examiner independently grades an answer script, would bring down bias and errors. A cell solely dedicated to sorting out the discrepancies or grievances related to examination results expeditiously should be institutionalized.
- Decrease in Exam Pressure- Continuous assessment, project work, and interviews can replace this single-day exam over-reliance as part of the evaluation process. The NEP 2020 finally shifts emphasis from summative to a regular formative, competency-based system that assesses higher-order skills such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity, and which is beyond rote memorization-driven assessment of learning outcomes.
- Cultural and Educational Shifts- Workshops on ethics and integrity for the students, educators and examination officials should be conducted to drive the message of honesty in examinations. There should be awareness campaigns on the consequences of examination malpractices and a need to have a culture of fair play and hard work.
Conclusion
A culture of integrity, spawned at every level, infused with greater vigilance, strong governance structures, and inclusive stakeholder engagement would be the guarantor for securing examination sanctity. It is a vision that protects not only the aspirations of millions of students but also sets mindsets towards building a meritocratic society from the very grassroots of education in India.
The next case hearing will be held on 11th July,2024.
References
- https://www.livemint.com/news/india/neetug-2024-paper-leak-case-cbi-arrests-aspirant-sunny-kumar-and-his-father-ranjit-kumar-from-nalanda-and-gaya-11720527359546.html
- https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/neet-ug-2024-supreme-court-hearing-paper-leak/articleshow/111575670.cms
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/competitive-exams/neet-paper-leak-cbi-arrests-man-from-maharashtra-who-claimed-to-increase-marks-in-exchange-for-money-101720496887340.html
- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/neet-ug-paper-leak-case-bihar-cbi-interrogate-accused-beur-prison-2560468-2024-06-30
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cancellation-of-neet-ug-2024-in-its-entirety-is-an-extreme-last-resort-says-supreme-court/article68381605.ece