Subhechcha Ganguly 
Bring out the people who are leading the assessments of our student’s calibre in India. The youngsters are asking questions and social media is flaring up every move of theirs. The caretakers of our education system have a lot of answering to do, however, let us not make this a case of collar-pulling and name calling.
What’s been the Impending Issue?
The National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for Under Graduate (NEET-UG) students have been receiving flak for mismanagement, paper leaks and other improper conduct-of-exam activities over the past few weeks. The results of the examination, which were surprisingly announced on June 4, 2024 [ the same day India’s voting results were announced] despite having announced a different date in the past caught the attention of media and all students who were affected by it.
Medical course prep schools and tuition centres noticed gaping discrepancies in the exam results, where close to 65+ students ended up with perfect scores (a rarity, considering the fact that in earlier editions only a handful of students had such scores). Many of the scores also noticed grace marks being provided to students who faced issue of late paper distribution or possible ruckus at the examination centres. NTA – the government-owned testing agency claimed to have followed a process approved by the honourable judiciary system to account for challenges faced by students across the country.
Was there a Nexus Operating?
There were concerns of a paper leak which had come out before and after the conduct of the examination, which led many to believe that the NEET-UG 2024 assessment has been compromised on ethical grounds. There were reports of the matching exam paper leaked on messaging platforms and being available for purchase for an amount exceeding multiple lakhs of rupees. During numerous investigations by the law-and-order forces, many individuals from the education industry along with middlemen were taken for questioning and asked about the nefarious activities which led to the news of the paper leak being spread like wildfire.
How were the Students Affected?
Lakhs of students who aim to redefine the healthcare of the nation felt vindicated, especially those who have been attempting to score worthwhile marks to enter prestigious government hospitals with the aim to serve the needy and improve the healthcare fabric of the nation. For many students, this was the last attempt towards greener pastures and a career befitting of their potential, but the compromised nature of this examination has put many futures in doubt.
However, all is not lost, as prime educators of the country and leaders of premier coaching institutions came out in support of the students and posed questions to the government test assessment bodies on clarity of the paper leaks and marks distribution. There were numerous petitions given to the honourable judiciary by students who faced time-related concerns during exams, which led to the Supreme Court to request for a team to analyse the on-ground situation. While the NTA announced some minor cracks in the entire examination process, the agency was forced to relook at the marks allotted to students, and rework on a re-exam schedule for the affected students, much to the ire of many others who felt a complete overhaul of the exam process was necessary. There were also calls for a re-examination schedule which would accommodate all students who wrote NEET-UG 2024.
The Role of Media to Secure the Truth:
Traditional media and social media channels have been instrumental in bringing justice and ensuring the truth comes out, albeit in a trickled manner. News anchors, brave educators, parents and students have used social media and online platforms to ask the central government bodies for clarity on the sanctity of the examination. Consider as a key pillar of the society, media has tried to get to the root of the matter, and weed out elements who have brought a shameful name of the education sector of the society. There have been letters and spoken requests meted out to the Ministry of Education to take serious cognizance of this matter, which can have serious long-term consequences on the medical fraternity in India. There have also been a few unfortunate cases of students taking their lives, because of not being able to secure the cut-off marks needed to secure a seat in a government institution for their medical studies – which has brought back a perennial question on the costs associated with securing and completing a medical degree in a growing nation like India.
Has the gap between a private institution and a government-held entity widened so much that the medical profession is out of reach for the common individual who harbours dreams of serving the nation during calamities, epidemics and catastrophic events that bring potential health hazards to people of the country? Is the medical profession slowly creeping towards becoming an elitist field of study? Are medical facilities and trustworthy doctors’ opinions out of reach for those residing in Bharat?
Amid the NEET-UG saga, there were reports of the UGC-NET [ Universal Grants Commission National Eligibility Test] for assistant professors and junior research fellowship for assistant professors in Indian universities was also compromised and a re-test would be announced soon. Unchecked controversies like these have left a sour taste and questioned the integrity of India’s education system.
The Future… Can it be Foreseen?
While the future of many students and aspirants of professorship hangs by a thin thread, the upper echelons have a lot of ponder and tinker upon. While the past years have been relatively issue-free, the constant dangling sword of paper leaks, combined with the nexus which is hell-bent on disturbing peace within the education sector constantly shows the nation in bad light. The leads to negative publicity about the moral code of conduct within the education sphere in India.
Are there serious steps and changes at the top that we can see to avoid such ordeals in the future?
Is there a blueprint or action plan to eliminate middlemen who ill-serve and corrupt people in the name of safeguarding the future of students?
How will the general public regain trust in the medical fraternity when their introductory flag-off into the world of medicine and healthcare is bruised from the start?
As the CBI interrogates and takes stock of the dilapidated situation at hand, parents and students can hinge their hopes on solutions that will ensure a brighter situation for the future of this country – where potential is in abundance, and so it the pressure to perform at the big stage. May there be a way out of this direness – because the future belongs to those who dream, deliver, and achieve!
