INTRODUCTION
The recently declared results of the NEET UG examination by NTA have caused an uproar in the crowd of Students. The controversy erupted after many students scored the maximum marks from a particular centre. The demand for re-examination has been growing since the declaration of the results. Students have expressed concerns over suspicious ‘grace mark’ allocation and ranking and claimed that the dubious results should not be relied upon. This incident has not only compromised the integrity of the examination process but also questioned the authenticity of the exam.
Medical courses in private colleges are costly and not everyone is rich enough to bear the expenses out of higher studies from prestigious private universities. Therefore, NEET remains a primary pathway for admission to prestigious medical colleges. NEET is one of the highly competitive examinations in India. The cutthroat race to the top medical colleges is already a daunting challenge to the aspirants. In such a situation, the least NTA can do is to conduct the examination smoothly without any malpractices.
The issue has highlighted the lack of transparency in the conduct of the NEET examination and the importance of a safe and secure system free from any malpractices. Due to a lack of security, there’s always a high chance of question paper being leaked out. The frauds in the examinations have increased over the past few years. These competitive examinations are the gateway to the dream colleges and a child’s entire future is dependent on it. It may shatter their dream of being a doctor. One mistake can cost them their entire life. It is the responsibility of the NTA to make sure no such mistakes happen which can ruin the student’s future.
EXAMINING THE CONTROVERSY
A writ petition was filed in the apex court on 9 June, to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and re-conduct the examination. It has been alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has awarded ‘Grace Marks’ to over 1500 students to compensate for the ‘loss of time’ in certain examination centres which is arbitrary and not reasonable and violates the fundamental rights under Article 14[1] and Article 21[2] of the Indian Constitution. Regarding this, it was argued that high marks of 718 & 719 out of 720 secured by several students were “statistically impossible”[3]. NTA, in its defence, has said that in many centres, wrong question papers were distributed resulting in delays in the commencement of examination. So, to compensate for the loss of time to the students, grace marks using the normalisation formula, have been allotted to them.
A plea filed by 17-year-old Shreyanshi Thakur in the Delhi High Court has alleged that the grant of grace marks by NTA is arbitrary and discriminatory. It was observed that Question No. 29 had 2 correct options. Given the discrepancy, the NTA decided to award marks to all the students who chose either of the alleged correct answers, thereby benefitting those who guessed an answer or marked the answer they thought was right. This discriminates against the petitioner who adhered to the instructions and did not mark an answer for Question No. 29 since it had two correct answers.[4] These discrepancies have resulted in differences in the ranking of the students who would have ranked higher if it were not for the unfair marks allocation by NTA.
In Calcutta High Court, a PIL has been filed seeking relief against the irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination. The petitioner has argued that with the current marking system of NEET, it is impossible to score 718/719. A division bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda and Justice Apurba Singh Ray, while hearing the PIL noted that the NTA has relied upon the decision of the Supreme Court in Akshat Aggarwal and Others v. Union of India and Others for the justification of the grant of such marks. NTA has been asked to file a proper affidavit within ten days in response to the allegations and further stated that the agency should disclose how the reservation policy of the State as well as the Central Government, has been followed in preparing the merit list for the said examination (Tanmoy Chattopadhyay v. National Testing Agency and Others).[5]
THE POSSIBILITY OF RE-EXAMINATION
It has been alleged that the paper was leaked as more than 60 students have scored a perfect 720 out of 720. Six students from the same exam centre have topped the exam with maximum marks which is unusual and highly doubtful but the NTA has denied any leak. Two petitions have already been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of the test on the grounds of a paper leak. On May 17, the Supreme Court issued notice on one such petition, however refused to stay the declaration of results.
Amid the nationwide outrage, the Ministry of Education has taken into consideration, the grievances of students. The Ministry held an official press conference on June 8 to address the issue and growing criticism over NEET UG 2024 and stated that it had formed a four-member panel to investigate the matter in question. The Director General of NTA, Subodh Kumar Singh, stated that the integrity of the exam was not compromised as out of 24 lakh students, the issue has risen for only 1600 students.
Keeping in mind the large number of students (approx.24 lakhs) who had appeared for NEET UG 2024, it is not feasible to re-conduct the examination for the said number of students that too in such a short period when it is already time to kick off the counselling process for admissions into colleges for the current academic year. The Director General has stated that re- examination of 1600 students would be considered but the entire exam would not be cancelled and re exam for all the students would not be conducted.
CONCLUSION
Our education system has many flaws. One of the biggest flaws is the poor management of examination centres. Centres are overcrowded and not secured. Numerous candidates face technical glitches issues during the exam. Due to this, the chances of fraud in the exams have increased. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 has underscored the critical importance of maintaining integrity within the examination system. Even with the strict controls in place, issues like cheating and leaked question papers have cast doubt on the validity of the test. This issue has drawn the lawmakers’ attention to the mismanagement of the examination centres. It is time we realise that the future of millions of students is at stake due to the scam that has happened in the NEET UG 2024. This calls for a reform in the conduct of examinations.
Author(s) Name: Shivangi Agrawal (Chanakya National Law University)
References:
[1] Constitution of India, art 14.
[2] Constitution of India, art 21.
[3] LiveLaw News Network, ‘NEET UG 2024: Plea In Supreme Court Challenges Grant Of Grace Marks To 1563 Candidates; Urgent Hearing Sought’ (LiveLaw, 11 June 2024) <https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/neet-ug-2024-plea-in-supreme-court-challenges-grant-of-grace-marks-to-1563-candidates-urgent-hearing-sought-260085> accessed 11 June 2024.
[4] Bar & Bench, ‘Delhi High Court Seeks NTA Stand on Plea Challenging Grace Marks in NEET UG 2024’ (Bar & Bench, 11 June 2024) <https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-high-court-nta-stand-plea-challenging-grace-marks-neet-ug-2024> accessed 11 June 2024.
[5] Bar & Bench, ‘Calcutta High Court Seeks NTA Response on PIL Alleging Irregularities in NEET UG 2024’ (Bar & Bench, 11 June 2024) <https://www.barandbench.com/news/calcutta-high-court-seeks-nta-response-on-pil-alleging-irregularities-in-neet-ug-2024> accessed 11 June 2024.
