Congress questions the integrity of NTA and how NEET is conducted

Members of various student organisations stage a protest against the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 entrance exam result. Pic/PTI

The Congress said on Sunday, that there are "serious questions" regarding the National Testing Agency's integrity as well as the design and administration of NEET, reported PTI.

The opposition party had reportedly hoped that the newly formed Standing Committees of Parliament would begin a thorough examination of NEET, NTA, and NCERT.

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"I was a member of Parliament's Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare between 2014 and 2019 and recall broad support for NEET. But there were MPs, especially from Tamil Nadu, who had raised concerns that NEET would privilege CBSE students and would disadvantage youth coming from non-CBSE schools," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

"I do think now that this CBSE issue needs proper analysis. Is NEET discriminatory? Are students from poorer backgrounds being denied opportunities? Other states like Maharashtra also have expressed grave doubts on NEET," he said.

Ramesh reportedly said, that there are also serious questions on the integrity of the National Testing Agency itself and the manner in which NEET is designed and administered.

Ramesh claimed, that the NCERT itself has lost all professionalism in the last decade, as reported by PTI.

"Hopefully the new Standing Committee(s) when they get constituted will take up an in-depth review of NEET, NTA and NCERT. This should receive the highest priority," he said.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG), or NEET, was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres. Around 24 lakh candidates appeared for the examination.

The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, the same day the general elections results were announced. The results were pre- announced apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets was completed earlier.

There have been allegations of question paper leaks in states like Bihar and other irregularities in the pan-India exam.

The Centre and the National Testing Agency on Thursday reportedly told the Supreme Court they had cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and other such courses.

According to the Center, they will be given the choice to retake the test or forgo the compensatory marks awarded to them for loss of time.

The Congress on Friday had questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the issue and claimed that lakhs of young students' futures could only be protected by a forensic investigation overseen by the Supreme Court, reported PTI.