NEET 2018: 3-minute delay shatters Solapur boy’s doctor dream
The boy reached the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam centre three minutes late at 9:33 am. The invigilators of Bharati Vidyapeeth English Medium High School, Dhankawadi, did not allow him to enter the exam hall.
Seventeen-year-old Mauli Karande’s dream to become a doctor and secure his family’s future was shattered on Sunday, when he reached the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam centre three minutes late at 9:33 am. The invigilators of Bharati Vidyapeeth English Medium High School, Dhankawadi, did not allow him to enter the exam hall.
As per rule, students appearing for the NEET exam need to be at the centre 30 minutes before the test begins at 10 am. Gates had closed at 9.30 am sharp at the centre, similar to that of all the centres across the city. As Karande reached the location at 9.33 am, he was denied entry by authorities.
Son of a rickshaw driver in Akluj, a small town in Solapur district, Karande was in the city for the first time. Unaware of the exact location of the centre, he could not locate it. However, a Pune citizen, having spotted the youth on the road weeping, came to his rescue. “I found him crying near Bharati Vidyapeeth’s front gate, and when I enquired I realised that he was lost. So, to help, I took him to the right location near the back gate, on my bike but we reached three minutes late due to the confusion. Sadly, despite repeated requests the invigilators did not allow the student to sit for the exams,” said Prashant Kale, a transport engineer at the Pune International Airport, who spotted the youth on his way to work.
“I requested them to allow me to enter. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and losing this is the worst thing that could have happened to me. They made me wait outside for over an hour and by the time they came out again to speak, they said that it was too late and that I had lost my chance,” said Karande.
On the topic of appearing next year for the exam, Karande added, “I come from a poor family and becoming a doctor was a dream which I had harboured for years. Over a year of preparation went into this, along with a lot of sacrifices made by my parents. I cannot waste another year preparing and let my father bear the expenses once again. My dream is over. Probably now, I would have to settle for something else, maybe sit for MH-CET (common entrance test).”
Three more students were also barred from entering the examination hall on May 6, for being late. However, all of them had reached the location after 10 am.
When asked about Karande’s situation, one of the invigilators, on condition of anonymity, said, “We have CCTV cameras which have recorded that we closed the gates at 9.30 am sharp. We cannot reconsider opening them for anyone.” Despite repeated attempts, other authorities of Bharati Vidyapeeth school denied to comment on the issue.
NEET tightens reigns to eliminate unfair means
Centres across Pune conducted the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday with strict implementation of rules and regulations to ensure that no incidents of cheating occur.
A strict dress code had been implemented this year, which barred students from wearing any ornaments such as earrings, rings, nose pins, chains, batches, brooch, pendants, watch or belts. Students were also instructed to wear half-sleeve shirts with no collars. While students in most centres complied by the rules, some students in an examination centre near Pimple Saudagar, despite wore shirts with collars. They were asked to cut them off before appearing for the test.
Students were further barred from carrying any stationery, including pens, scale calculators, writing pads, erasers or even water bottles. In addition to writing sheets, the centres also provided candidates with a pen.
This year, approximately 13.36 lakh students appeared for the test across the country, with 2.5 lakh in Maharashtra alone. In Pune, 20,000 students appeared for the test. A total of 95,000 seats are to be filled across India, with over 60,000 in MBBS (bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery) and 30,000 in bachelor of dental surgery (BDS). In Maharashtra, there are 2,950 MBBS seats and 200 BDS seats in government medical colleges, while private colleges have 1,600 MBBS seats and 200 BDS seats up for grabs. In deemed institutes, there are 1,200 seats open for MBBS applicants.
As per rules, students were to be present at the centre before 9.30am, after which the gates would be closed. The exam was conducted at 2,255 centres across 150 cities of the country. Of this, Maharashtra hosted 345 centres. Results for the same will be declared on June 5.
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