Dharmendra Pradhan meets NEET aspirants, assures necessary measures
The meeting took place a day after the Supreme Court adjourned till July 18 for the hearing of petitions seeking cancellation, re-test, and a probe into alleged malpractices in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024
New Delhi: Amidst the row over alleged irregularities in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) entrance exams this year, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday met some NEET aspirants at his residence and assured them that the government will take necessary measures to ensure that the academic calendar does not get affected due to the delay in the counselling process.
The meeting took place a day after the Supreme Court adjourned till July 18 for the hearing of petitions seeking cancellation, re-test, and a probe into alleged malpractices in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024.
Due to the ongoing case in the apex court, the NEET-UG counselling has not yet begun. The country’s biggest medical entrance exam has been marred with allegations of paper leak and irregularities this year.
Also Read: NEET petitioners allege lack of transparency, systematic fraud
According to officials, during the meeting, students raised concerns over the uncertainty, delay in the counselling and possible delay in the academic calendar.
Mukul Yadav, a student from Indore, said they put forward their apprehensions about the exam and delayed counselling in front of the minister. “He listened to us and gave us an opportunity to tell him our problems. He also took our opinions on how to improve the examination system and assured us that the government will maintain transparency in the conduct of examinations in the future. He also assured us that steps will be taken to improve the system,” Yadav said.
Another student, who wished not to be named, said that the majority of them do not want a re-test and demand that the counselling be held immediately. “The minister said that the matter is subjudice and the Supreme Court will take a decision regarding the same. He also assured that necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the academic session does not get delayed,” said the student.
Also Read: NEET-UG paper leak: CBI arrests two persons, including a candidate, from Bihar
The NEET-UG 2024 exam held on May 5 was marred by controversies regarding paper leaks and some students being provided grace marks.
While there has been demand for a re-test from several quarters, the education ministry has been maintaining that the incidents of paper leak were localised and cannot jeopardise the careers of lakhs of candidates who cleared the exam rightfully.
The Supreme Court on July 8 directed the Union government and NTA to provide comprehensive details about the nature and extent of the leak.
The ministry on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that the data analytics of the results of NEET-UG 2024, conducted by IIT Madras, found there was neither any indication of “mass malpractice” nor a localised set of candidates benefiting from it and scoring abnormally high marks.
The IIT-Madras report, endorsed by its director, maintained that the analysis of the 2023 and 2024 NEET-UG data could lead to an inference “with confidence that there has been no abnormality, which has affected the results.”
The NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is the entrance examination for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions nationwide.
Over 2.33 million students took the test on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including in 14 cities overseas. The NTA later conducted a re-test for 1,563 students.
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