NEET-UG row: Pradhan acknowledges ‘need for significant improvement in NTA’ following Opposition criticism

PTC News Desk: The opposition is continuing to attack the government over the NEET-UG 2024 results, and they are demanding an investigation by a committee appointed by the Supreme Court. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated on Sunday that the National Testing Agency (NTA) needs to make significant improvements, but he also reiterated that no one will be left unpunished.

On Sunday, Pradhan was addressing the media in his Odisha constituency. According to the ministry of education, there have been two instances of improper handling of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) exam.

“First, it was reported that some students received grace marks because they had less time; second, two abnormalities were discovered. The administration has given this careful thought, I can tell the parents and students. We have the information, and we plan to pursue every matter to a definitive conclusion.

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“Senior NTA officials will not be spared, even if they are proved guilty. There needs to be a lot of improvement in NTA. The administration finds this to be concerning. Nobody will escape punishment. The worst punishment would be meted out to them,” Pradhan declared.

he NEET-UG 2024 exam paper leak accusations were previously refuted by the Union education minister, who also declared that the government will not stand for exam misconduct or anomalies.

On Sunday, the opposition intensified its criticism of the administration and called for an inquiry of the NEET-UG 2024 results by a committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

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The Congress cited the reports of the ongoing case of an alleged paper leak in Bihar and claimed that only the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to blame for the injustice done to 2.4 million students and the crushing of their hopes.

But regrettably, PM Modi and his ministers have a history of avoiding accountability. The Congress stated on its official account on X, “We demand that this matter be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court and the students should get justice at all costs.”

The legitimacy of the NTA itself as well as the way NEET is created and implemented are seriously questioned, according to senior Congressman Jairam Ramesh. “Hopefully, upon their formation, the new Standing Committee(s) would begin a thorough examination of NEET, NTA, and NCERT. “This needs to be given top priority,” he stated in a post on X.

MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, brought up the matter as well, pointing out that even the Gujarat Police had opened an investigation on charges that invigilators altered OMR sheets in return for financial gain. The claims involved checks totaling several crore rupees and eight blank checks.

The critical need for structural change is highlighted by this plot, which involves many NEET coaching centers, a physics teacher, and the principal of the school. We have seen enough, from martyr Anitha to the innumerable kids who have tragically committed suicide. NEET, a test that poses as a meritocracy indicator, has consistently shown itself to be a widespread fraud that affects people at all societal levels. In a tweet on, he wrote, “The Union government must stop defending this anti-student, anti-social justice, and anti-poor NEET system.”

Former Union education minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also called for an investigation into claims of anomalies in NEET-UG by officials appointed by the Supreme Court and stated that all political parties should bring up the issue forcefully in the next Parliamentary session.

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