PAPER LEAK OR STUDENT’S FUTURE BREACH?

This year, the NEET-2024 exam had an unexpectedly high cut-off, causing distress for many students. In our country, certain exams have the power to change the destiny of entire families. But, for them, the ‘Dream became a Nightmare’.Students invest years preparing for these exams, causing them immense stress. Many young people in India take competitive exams, which can lead to increased pressure and anxiety, potentially leading to depression. Some students have ended up with seemingly impossible scores, such as 718 or 719, due to the exam’s scoring system. The use of grace marking led to an inflation in ranks, with 67 students achieving perfect scores of 720, including 8 students from the same center in Haryana, while in previous years there were only 2 or 3 such toppers.

On 16th June, the National Test Agency (NTA) issued a press release to explain the high cut-off without providing proper reasons. They argued that the exam NEET is extremely competitive and that the number of students taking the exam increases every year, leading to high cut-offs. However, they failed to explain why the cut-off suddenly skyrocketed and produced 67 toppers in just one year. The agency also mentioned that due to a loss of time and discrepancies in physics questions, they awarded grace marks to 50 students who secured AIR 1. This raised questions about the fairness of granting grace marks to toppers.

NTA referred to the Supreme Court judgment of 2018, which established the formula for score normalization in case of time loss. Students are demanding to know why extra time is not given or why re-testing is not conducted for students who face problems during the exam. While some students are calling for a re-test, others argue that it would be unfair to those who have worked hard for years to achieve their rank. Additionally, some advocate for re-evaluation to decrease their rank and gain admission to a more deserving medical college.

However, the police have arrested individuals involved in the leaked exam papers in Bihar and Gujarat. So far, the government has not taken proper action regarding these incidents. Additionally, there is a controversy surrounding the decision to release the NEET results on June 4th instead of the previously announced date of June 14th by the National Testing Agency (NTA). People are questioning why the results were announced amid election results. Every year, there are complaints, but raising concerns and questioning such issues is often labeled as anti-national or urban naxal activity, so not much is said. NEET’s progress can be likened to the Titanic moving forward, and now in 2024, it seems to have collided with an iceberg, putting millions of students’ futures at stake.

The matter went to the Supreme Court where the NTA defended its decision to award grace marks, stating that there was no rank inflation. However, the NTA later announced that it would cancel the grace marks. This decision affected 1563 students who had received grace marks, giving them the option to either retake the test or accept their original score without the grace marks. Many people saw this as a victory for the students, but it raised concerns about fairness for those who could not afford legal representation to file a writ petition to the high court. The NTA had offered grace marks only to students who filed a writ petition, potentially creating inequality in access to justice. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Pradeep Joshi, the chairman of NTA, is involved in the committee investigating the NEET scam.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the UGC-NET examination scheduled for 19th June due to incidents of irregularities during the test conducted on 18th June. NTA has announced that the exam’s integrity was compromised, and fresh dates will be announced soon. Over 9 lakh aspirants will have to retake the test, and the matter is being investigated by the CBI. The NTA has postponed the CSIR-UGC-NET and CISR examinations. Additionally, the NEET-PG examination, conducted by the NBE for admission to postgraduate medical programs, was postponed due to allegations regarding examination integrity, prompting a thorough assessment of the entrance processes.

According to a report by the Indian Express, there have been 41 cases of paper leaks in the last 5 years, affecting 1.4 crores of students across the country. This has severely impacted the future of the country, yet there have been no strong actions or concrete plans to prevent these scams. In January 2023, students protested in Patna over the paper leak of a government exam, and the police responded with brutal force. Similar incidents are occurring with students of NEET and NET who are also protesting for fair exams. How can justice be sought in a country where youth are unable to protest for their rights and fair examination practices? There was a time when people mocked student protests at Jamia and JNU, calling them anti-national and part of the “Tukde Tukde” gang. But now, they will come to realize that these students are fighting for their right to fair exams and equality, just as the students of Jamia and JNU were doing before.

In addition to addressing this year’s candidates, the government and NTA must ensure that aspirant’s careers are not unfairly disrupted and be transparent in addressing any shortcomings. This must be done as soon as possible. The future of India’s youth is at risk, which is of paramount importance. The hyper-competitive nature of the exams reflects the shortcomings in both the educational and employment sectors. Demand and supply gaps create opportunities for exam fraud and job-related corruption. Even if the government investigates the cases of NEET and NET, it cannot afford to delay addressing the longstanding problem.

Nazia Parween is a student pursuing Political Science Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Edited by: Sana Faiz