SHILLONG: Thousands of medical aspirants appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2024 (NEET) in Meghalaya found their dreams shattered when reports of discrepancies emerged from its two new examination centres.
The candidates, appearing for the exam in West Jaintia Hills’ Jowai and Ri Bhoi’s Nongpoh, where the NEET exams were held for the first time on Sunday, felt victimised after being reportedly provided with a wrong set of question papers.
Despite seeking clarification from examination authorities, the candidates received no valid explanation, adding to their confusion.
The matter was brought to the notice of state Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma by two student bodies, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), in a joint letter on Tuesday.
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The student bodies, expressing concern for the affected candidates, demanded a re-examination to address the issues arising from mismanagement during the exam.
“This situation is deeply concerning as students, through no fault of their own, have been subjected to the consequences of mismanagement by untrained invigilators… Without prejudicing the rights and interests of our student candidates, we respectfully request a re-examination of the NEET exam,” the letter read.
In response to the allegations, Chief Minister Conrad Sarma swiftly escalated the matter to the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting NEET exams nationwide.
Taking to social media on May 7, he disclosed that reports of discrepancies across various parts of the state had been forwarded to the NTA for review.
ALSO READ Meghalaya CM addresses NEET retest concerns in Jowai, takes it up with NTA
Earlier, on Sunday, shortly after the successful conduct of the exam in 557 cities in India and 14 abroad, a purported copy of the exam paper surfaced on social media platforms, triggering speculations of a question-paper leak.
Dismissing these claims, the NTA clarified on Monday that while there were no instances of a question-paper leak, there were cases of malpractice and impersonation in certain centres.
“…There have been cases of malpractice/impersonation where strict action has been taken on impersonators and candidates,” a statement issued by the central agency read.
Additionally, the NTA underscored its post-exam data analysis process to identify cases of Unfair Means (UFM), reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the integrity and fairness of the examination system.
As the voice for re-examination of NEET (UG) examinations in Meghalaya grow, a question has baffled the candidates, their wards and various stakeholders – Why is NTA trying to ‘victimise’ Meghalaya NEET aspirants?
