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Trust can be everything, in governance. The can of worms that split open with the publication of results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG-2024 has elevated the entrance examination for medical (and dental) seats to a metaphor for distrust in the system, among the people. This year, dogged by accusations of paper leak, malpractices, and technical failures, besides the grant of grace marks to some students, NEET, which was conceived to homogenise selection on merit, has now morphed into a beast that is far removed from its original idea. The Supreme Court of India, on Thursday, rescheduled the NEET-UG hearing to July 18, to address complaints regarding irregularities and malpractices during the exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). A CBI investigation into the charges is ongoing. Meanwhile, the Centre has leaned heavily on a report, a data analysis, submitted by IIT Madras, examining the results to see if malpractices have occurred. The report’s executive summary claimed that there was no abnormality that was discovered in a centre and city-wise analysis that was done for two years. The analysis was carried out for the top 1.4 lakh ranks in the country. It further stated that there was no evidence of either mass malpractice or a localised set of candidates benefiting. The overall increase of marks among students, a charge that was laid out initially, is attributed to the 25% reduction in syllabus, and it confirms that this occurred across multiple cities. However, outrage among student applicants on social media continues.
While NEET is no stranger to controversy, with States opposing it, the charges that have been levelled against it this year have had the effect of invoking distrust against the test among a larger subsect of chary students across the country. The only way to move forward from here is to ensure that the issue is debated threadbare on public platforms and all doubt is removed, instead of trying to sweep the worms that have spilled out under the carpet. Loud denials of malpractice should be matched with the willingness to engage with those affected in a public forum and provide clarifications. Where errors have taken place, as is possible in an exercise of this scale, it behoves a proper acknowledgement and apology. When trust is violated, the reparation for it should sometimes be utter honesty. For the longer term, the government must introduce greater limpidity in the examination process, and make sure that the NTA and its line agencies remain committed to maintaining transparency. It might also be the opportunity to set right other issues raised about the conduct of the examination itself, including security checks on students.
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Can of worms: On NEET-UG 2024
