Students protest ‘irregularities’ in NEET exam, slam NTA
New Delhi, June 10
Several student organisations on Monday staged a protest near the Education Ministry, calling for a probe into the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam, NEET.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) had announced on Saturday that the ministry had established a four-member panel to review grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates in the exam.
At the public meeting held at the protest, JNUSU president Dhananjay said, “Today students and youth all over the country are raising voice against the outrageous scams by the NTA, while the Ministry of Education (MoE) remains silent.”
AISA Delhi state secretary Neha said, “In the last seven years, there have been more than 70 scams, discrepancies and leaks by the NTA. The MoE has given it a free hand to conduct almost every single test in the country and this has turned into a catastrophe for the youth!”
A delegation consisting of JNUSU president Dhananjay, AISA DU Secretary Anjali, along with other students submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Education, demanding a retest of NEET-2024, scrapping NTA and the policy of PhD admissions through NET only.
“We demand an independent and transparent investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam to ensure accountability,” JNUSU vice-president Avijit Ghosh said.
He further urged the ministry to establish a more reliable and secure examination system to safeguard the integrity of entrance exams.
The result of the medical entrance exam was announced on June 4 and thereafter aspirants have been alleging multiple issues, including irregularities in the test, demanding a fresh examination. A record 67 candidates had shared the first rank in the exam. Eight of these were from the same centre in Haryana.
The ABVP, which is a right-wing student organisation, also protested against the NTA over the NEET examination. ABVP Delhi state secretary Harsh Attri said the wide-scale irregularities in the recently released NEET UG results indicate how the NTA was working irregularly and indulging in corruption.
“We staged a demonstration in front of the NTA headquarters regarding the irregularities in the NEET UG exam and met the NTA administration and demanded to immediately remove these irregularities,” he added.
ABVP national secretary Shivangi Kharwal demanded a CBI probe into the matter. “This shows that this institution is indulging in corruption and we demand a CBI probe.”
