June 17,2024
New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday said that some discrepancies in the conduct of 2024 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) from specific locations have come to light and whoever found guilty, “even if it is NTA”, will not be spared. The Opposition has, in the meanwhile, declared that it will seek a scrutiny and review of NEET exams and NTA’s functioning by a parliamentary standing committee. The developments played out in the backdrop of the economic offences wing of Bihar Police arresting a few people and issuing summons in its probe into the alleged NEET paper leak.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan told media persons at Sambalpur, Odisha, that “in the NEET examination, some discrepancies from some specific locations have come to light. The government is trying to rectify it. Wherever we are getting verified information, action is being taken by keeping the court informed as the Supreme Court is monitoring the issue. The government is committed to make examinations like NEET 100 per cent transparent. I want to assure the students that whoever is found guilty, even if it is NTA, will not be spared”. He further said: “Strict action will be taken. The entire matter is in the court and the Supreme Court is monitoring it. We will not let anything go wrong.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who is also party’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, said: “Serious questions have been raised about the integrity of the National Testing Agency and the way NEET is designed and administered. NCERT itself has lost its professionalism over the past decade. It is expected that the new standing committee, when formed, will conduct a thorough review of NEET, NTA and NCERT. This should be given top priority.”
He added: “I was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare between 2014 and 2019. I remember the widespread support for NEET at that time. But there were also MPs – especially from Tamil Nadu – who expressed concern that NEET would benefit CBSE students and harm students from other boards. I feel CBSE needs to do a proper analysis on this issue. Is NEET discriminatory? Are students from poor backgrounds being denied opportunities? Other states like Maharashtra have also expressed deep doubts about NEET.”
Source: Healthworld