- The Pacemakers

06 Jul 2024
Dr. Raj Shekhar Yadav
Current Issues
Last Edited 06 Jul 24

NEET Tragedy - Dilemma between Injustice and Inconvenience

Written By- Dr Raj Shekhar Yadav

The affidavit submitted by the government to the Supreme Court acknowledges that the paper was leaked in limited areas, while until a few days ago, the government was completely denying this. The Union Education Minister had explicitly denied any paper leak. The NTA also did not acknowledge any paper leak in its press releases, even though evidence started emerging on the day of the exam itself, on May 5.

Initially, the Economic Offences Unit and now the CBI are making new revelations every day in their investigation. The mastermind behind the paper leak is still absconding, and until he is caught, it won't be clear where he got the paper from and to whom he distributed it across various states.

So far, the investigation clearly shows that the paper was distributed via WhatsApp. In such a case, calling this leak limited is not only surprising but also unfortunate because when a sensitive document like an exam paper reaches social media, the possibilities of its spread are limitless.

In its affidavit, NTA has cited reasons for rank inflation, including the paper being relatively easier this time, a reduced syllabus, and an increased number of students. These three reasons are not accurate, as subject experts believe the difficulty level of the paper was almost the same as in 2023. Some topics were removed from the syllabus, but some were also added, and the added topics were relatively tough. Additionally, the announcement of changes in the syllabus was made just a few months prior. As for the increased number of students, NTA forgot to mention that there was a relatively higher increase in the number of students in 2023. The most surprising aspect of rank inflation is that it is only seen above the 520 marks category. If the reasons provided by NTA were correct, rank inflation should have been visible in the lower scores as well.

Regarding the Patna paper leak, NTA mentioned in its response that the investigation is ongoing. NTA also stated that the police have apprehended all the accused in Godhra, but students are concerned that when NTA's system was so weak, how can it be denied that such irregularities did not occur at other centers?

Overall, everything seems to depend on the CBI investigation, which is not yet complete. The counseling and admission process is not yet finished, and everything can still be rectified. If the exam is retaken with full caution, no deserving student will face injustice.

However, if admissions are given based on the current results and a month later the CBI investigation reveals that the leak was widespread, including on WhatsApp and Telegram (for which there is evidence), it would be a permanent injustice to the students that cannot be rectified, and this injustice will be remembered for decades.

It is true that if the exam is retaken, it will cause inconvenience to the students, *but when choosing between permanent injustice and temporary inconvenience, the latter seems much more rational*. The government had the opportunity to rectify NTA's mistake, but it missed it, or it can be said that the government is expecting the Supreme Court to decide on it instead of making a decision itself.

Long-term Consequences

If the NEET exam is not retaken, there will be long-term consequences:

1. Thousands of undeserving students will cheat their way to becoming doctors in the future, jeopardizing citizens' health.

2. Thousands of deserving students will have to abandon their dreams and switch to other fields due to the injustice.

3. The youth will lose faith in the country's system permanently.

4. Future NEET aspirants will be under immense mental stress.

5. Accepting the paper leak at a local level will encourage the paper leak mafia.

6. There will be a significant question mark over the functioning of governments.

7. The affected students of NEET 2024 will suffer the pain of injustice throughout their lives.

8. Many families will face severe financial difficulties.

9. Other exams will also be viewed with distrust.

10. Students admitted in the 2024 batch will be viewed with suspicion throughout their lives.

If the exam is annulled and retaken, students will only need to endure the inconvenience of studying for one more month and retaking the exam, which is far less severe than the aforementioned permanent issues, discrepancies, and injustices.

It is hoped that all these facts will be presented before the Honorable Supreme Court.

(Dr Raj Shekhar Yadav is a senior physician, blogger and social media activist.He tweets @citybrr.Views are personal)

NEET Tragedy - Dilemma between Injustice and Inconvenience

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