E-Paper
Scrapping of exam or re-test for a few, what people said in the HT NEET UG Poll, netizens react to fiasco
In the HT NEET UG Poll, participants have to say if the examination should be scrapped completely or if a re-exam for a few students is the correct approach.
Even as the National Testing Agency or the NTA is set to conduct a re-exam for the 1,563 candidates tomorrow, June 23, 2024, the controversy surrounding the exam seems far from over. A majority of individuals are still firm on their demand for a complete scrapping of the examination. Latest updates on NEET UG Row
To get a sense of what various stakeholders want, Hindustan Times has launched an online poll on the NEET UG exams wherein respondents have to say if the examination should be scrapped completely or if a re-exam for a few students is the correct approach.
As per the responses, 283 or 68 percent of respondents have so far voted for the examination to be scrapped completely, whereas 114 votes, or 27 percent have come in favour of a re-exam for a few students. 3 percent of the respondents did not agree with either of the options.
Reactions have also been pouring in from netizens on social media. For instance, a user named Dr Shaurya Garg had written on Twitter that the NTA's decision to hold re-exams for the 1,563 candidates was unfair to all other students and that it also does not answer the allegations of leaked paper.
Another user, Pawan Kumar, suggested that the Government of India should establish three independent exam bodies to address issues of paper leak. He said that the exams should be conducted online at least thrice, and ranks be determined based on the average scores.
Dr Gurpreet Singh, a parent, voiced against a re-examination, The user named Dr Gurpreet Singh said that the hard work of students who performed well in the exam should not go to waste as it may be traumatizing for them.
As mentioned earlier, the NEET Re-test scheduled for tomorrow is being held for the 1,563 candidates who had experienced loss of time during the NEET UG examination held on May 5, 2024, and were awarded compensatory grace marks.
It may be mentioned here that the Centre on Friday announced the enforcement of the "Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024" which aims to prevent unfair practices in public examinations and common entrance tests conducted nationwide.
The law that took effect on Friday prohibits the premature disclosure of confidential exam-related information and unauthorized individuals from entering exam centers to cause disturbances. The law entails stringent punitive provisions for those involved in these offenses, including a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to ₹1 crore.
Its primary objective is to curb the use of “unfair means” in public examinations and enhance “greater transparency, fairness, and credibility.”
Notably, the NEET UG fiasco began over an alleged paper leak case during the conduct of the NEET UG exam by the NTA on May 5, 2024, and a consequent outrage over the “inflation of marks” of 1,563 students who were compensated for the loss of time. Students from at least six centers in states, including Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Surat, and Chandigarh, had complained about the loss of time during exams.
Also read: SC again declines to stay process of counselling in NEET-UG 2024, issues notice to NTA
On June 4, 2024, when the results were announced, a massive uproar broke out, with several aspirants and parents demanding a probe and seeking a “re-exam”, alleging that the paper was leaked at certain centers where students got high scores. 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720 raising suspicion.
