Issues
Since its inception, NEET has emerged as the largest exam in the ‘One Exam, One Nation’ model because of the number of candidates taking the exam, the number of languages the exam is conducted in, and the diversity of various other factors.
The quality of education and the college fees payable are critical factors that vary widely.
During the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year, scores and ranks were inflated
As a consequence, many candidates may not get admission to their desired college as predicted based on previous years’ scores
The stakes in NEET are incredibly high, making it vulnerable to irregularities, accidental or intentional.
Therefore, we need strong governance in the form of foolproof and complete Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and their compliance.
There cannot be any weak link in the chain of operations from setting question papers to conducting the exam to admissions.
However, there are many weak links, as seen from the distribution of the wrong question paper at some centres, for example.
Reportedly, some centres distributed the back-up question paper instead of the primary paper
There are several unanswered questions about the authorisation and attitude of the officials concerned.
This seemingly inconsequential event is actually of enormous consequence and could give us an idea of how the exam was conducted this year.
Way forward
It is on record that the SOPs were developed and directed through a decade-long (2006-2015) protracted legal battle in the Supreme Court and High Courts to ensure transparency and develop well-defined rational SoPs for admissions to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
However, this alone is not enough for NEET.
The NTA should devise SOPs to get stabilised cut-offs, as done by the IITs, avoid inflated scores and ranks, and achieve a long-tail distribution.
It should work to replace ad-hocism with well-defined, sound, and secure SOPs.
It should follow a professional war-room culture to facilitate quick and sound decision-making during the entire process.
As the Supreme Court said in 2011, “The selection process requires to be upgraded and fine-tuned year after year with periodic changes..., so that the selection process and examination remain relevant and meaningful.”
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