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Kashish Kapoor,
Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Delhi
Introduction
A centralized test called the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is administered to aspirants civil for admission to undergraduate dental (BDS) and medical (MBBS) programs at both public and private universities. NEET was first introduced in 2013 with the intention of streamlining the admissions process by displacing multiple state and institutional entrance examinations. It was overseen by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Medical Council of India (MCI). Still, it was temporarily suspended due to legal controversies and opposition from multiple countries; it was reinstated in 2016. 2019 saw a transfer of NEET administration authority to the National Testing Agency (NTA). The NTA, an independent body devoted to enhancing the quality of entrance examinations in India, oversees NEET annually in a single session format. Campaigners are assessed through multiple- choice questions in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, assessing their proficiency and aptitude in these subjects.
Challenges and Controversies Surrounding NEET UG 2024
A significant step towards their ideal careers was taken by thousands of prospective croakers across India on May 5, 2024, when they took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate test. A stunning 24 lakh (2.4 million) scholars took this demanding test, which serves as a gateway to medical sodalities. The National Testing Agency (NTA) established a network of 4,500 test centres across an astounding 600 metropolises civil to accommodate this huge number of test takers.
The results of the examination were declared on 4 June 2024, ten days before than firstly listed, coinciding with the publication of the 2024 Indian general election results. There was some contestation girding the fact that 67 scholars entered perfect scores, a much advanced number than in former examinations. According to the NTA, the reason for the rise in the top songwriters was that, because of a mistake in an earlier edition of the NCERT text, 44 out of the 67 scholars who answered a drugs question inaptly were still given marks. Following over 10,000 scholars’ challenges to the answer key that was made public before the results, the NTA decided to award these marks.
Several examinees entered scores of 718 or 719, which scholars argued was mathematically insolvable under the test marking scheme. The NTA latterly clarified that 1,563 examinees, including six top songwriters from the same centre, were awarded compensatory marks for lost time. The NTA awarded these marks grounded on a normalization formula established by the Supreme Court of India in a 2018 judgment. Examinees at some centres in Haryana, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh complained that they were given lower than the distributed time to complete their examination and filed writ desires before the High Courts of Punjab & Haryana, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh. Still, after the intervention of the Supreme Court, the NTA decided to withdraw the grace marks and hold the examination again for those 1,563 campaigners on 23 June 2024. Out of these, 813 scholars took the protest.
Media reports had also contended that before the test commenced on May 5, the NEET UG question paper had been blurted at some test centres. A Times of India report said that at least three similar cases were reported and the police have registered cases. One of the cases was probed by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar police, who set up that parents of scholars paid around Rest 50 lakh for the question paper to be blurted. Up to 13 people, including parents and applicants, were arrested by the EOU in Bihar.
Another contestation girding the test was that the answer key was incorrect. For one question in the subject of drugs, applicants claimed that two of the given options were correct answers. Around 13,000 scholars have challenged the answer key for that question, since several scholars skipped the question because there were two possible answers and lost four marks. It may be noted that since the test has negative marking, a wrong answer would bring them five marks, while skipping a question will bring them only four marks.
Several applicants refocused out that the scholars who tried the question, and chose one of the two right options, were awarded five grace marks as against those who saw the possibility of both the answers being right and skipped them with the stopgap of saving one mark. They've since demanded that the NTA forget that question for evaluation or award grace marks to all those who appeared for the examination to regulate the competition.
In Chhattisgarh for the first time, two centres were created in Baled quarter for NEET, the biggest examination in the medical field. During this period, gross negligence has been allegedly reported. Then, the campaigners purport that they were given the wrong test paper, after which the scholars faced a lot of confusion during the test. Also, further than 45 minutes of their time was wasted. After filling the examination question paper, it was cancelled and they were asked to fill another paper. After that, they were offered redundant time which wasn't given.
An aggregate of 391 scholars appeared in this examination. Also, in Sanai Mashhour, Rajasthan, cases of distributing English medium papers to Hindi medium campaigners have been reported, leading to demurrers by campaigners and parents. Numerous scholars entered different marks on their scorecards compared to their OMR wastes. These disagreement weren't due to grace marks, as these scholars weren't from the centres where grace marks purportedly given.
Criticism and Legal Challenges
It’s largely dubious that 67 scholars entered a perfect score of 720 out of 720. This has no way passed. Only three or four scholars admit perfect scores utmost of the time. Out of the total 67 scholars, six- seven of them are from a single Haryana centre. The IMA Junior Croakers Network National Convener, Dr. Indranil Deshmukh, asserted that the negative marking scheme made it insolvable for the scholars to admit a score of 718 – 719 points.
Dharmendra Pradhan, the union minister of education, denied the claims of a NEET UG paper leak, calling them unwarranted. He paraphrased the commitment of the government to cover the rights of scholars and declared that the National Testing Agency (NTA) would be responsible for any protocol violations. The Supreme Court laid over its decision on June 14 to July 8, 2024, regarding the opening of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) disquisition into the alleged paper leaks and affiliated misconduct. The NTA's request for the Court to combine all NEET- related suits was also bandied. The Education Ministry also requested a detailed report on the NEET UG 2024 paper leak allegations from the Bihar Police's Economic Offenses Unit on June 20. Anurag Yadav and Amit Anand, two people, have admitted to being involved in the paper leak and have participated specifics about how they operated.
On June 21, the government passed the" Public Examinations( Prevention of illegal Means) Act, 2024," which forbids disruptive behaviour at test centres and unauthorized access to test- related data in an trouble to combat illegal practices in entrance examinations and public examinations. Penalties for violators include a maximum ₹ 1 crore fine and ten times in captivity. To guarantee fair and transparent examinations conducted through the NTA, the Union Education Ministry formed a seven- member expert commission the coming day, headed byDr.K. Radhakrishnan, the former president of ISRO. With a report due in two months, the commission will concentrate on strengthening data security procedures, restructuring the test process, and enhancing the NTA's organizational design.
Also, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plans to release a new date for NEET PG 2024 soon. Firstly slated for June 23, the test was laid over as a preventative measure in response to recent allegations regarding the integrity of competitive examinations. Only 813 of the 1,563 campaigners who were listed for the protest on June 23 actually showed up, according to the NTA. Two Jajjar centres had advanced attendance than the rest, with an aggregate of 52%.
Implications and Consequences of the NEET Question Paper Leak
The leakage of the NEET question paper has severe allegations, affecting colourful stakeholders and undermining the integrity of the examination process. The reality of vulnerabilities in the security procedures and test administration is one of the main reasons for these leaks. Indeed with strict controls, some people in the system sometimes take advantage of their positions to make money, which makes leaks easier. Likewise, there's a great demand for medical seats in India, which has led to some campaigners and their families taking extreme measures including using illegal means — in an attempt to secure a favourable outgrowth. The issue is made worse by the involvement of systematized crime groups that concentrate on test fraud, emphasizing the need for stronger security protocols.
The goods of a NEET question paper leak are far- reaching and mischievous. Originally, it erodes the trust of scholars and parents in the fairness and trust ability of the examination system. Campaigners who have authentically prepared for the test feel demoralized and betrayed, leading to wide disillusionment and frustration. This breach of trust can discourage unborn applicants and spoil the character of the test conducting body. Also, it creates an uneven playing field, where undeserving campaigners might gain admission to prestigious medical sodalities, while further meritorious scholars are unfairly displaced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The NEET 2024 scam has highlighted serious flaws in the testing process, pressing the pressing need for expansive changes. The claims and the examinations that followed exposed breaches in executive control and security procedures, casting mistrustfulness on the process's integrity. Although the government has moved rapidly to address these problems — applying the" Public Examinations( Prevention of illegal Means) Act, 2024" and forming a high- position expert commission, for illustration it is critical that these conduct affect in conspicuous advancements. Maintaining the integrity of competitive examinations is essential for conserving public confidence as well as the values of justice and merit. Translucency, responsibility, and strong security measures must be given top precedence as the educational system develops in order to stop analogous circumstances from passing again and to cover the expedients of millions of scholars across the country.
REFERENCES
● NTA’s clarification on paper leak - https://www.pw.live/exams/neet/neet-paper-leaked-2024/
● Students demand re-exam - https://news.careers360.com/cancel-neet-2024-result-re-exam-citing-paper-leak-unfair-nta-grace-marks-irregularities-mbbs-students-demand
●Previous exam paper leak scandals -https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/exam-paper-leak-fiasco-top-five-incidents-rocked-2023-prompting-investigations/articleshow/107821054.cms#:~:text=Investigations%20ensued%2C%20shedding%20light%20on,Maharashtra%2C%20Assam%2C%20and%20Rajasthan.
● NTA’s clarification on grace marks- https://x.com/NTA_Exams/status/1798065700818530482
● 6 of the toppers from the same exam centre - https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/neet-result-2024-controversy-explainer-6-from-same-exam-centre-get-top-rank-124060800233_1.html
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