Govt should give reasons behind the step: ABVP General Secretary on postponement of NEET-PG exam

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG was held on May 5. Representation Pic

Following the postponement of the NEET-PG examination, ABVP General Secretary Yagyawalkya Shukla demanded explanations from both the government and the National Board of Education regarding the sudden postponement of the exam just hours before it was due to be held on June 23 morning. This is the second competitive exam that has been postponed after UGC-NET was cancelled due to the exam paper being leaked on darknet.

"If the National Board of Examination or the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had any kind of suspicion, they should have brought forth everything in front of candidates with full transparency... Student bodies demand the government and the National Board of Education that the students have the right to know the reasons and circumstances behind the step," Shukla said in a self-made video.

On the postponement of the NEET-PG exam, JNUSU President Dhananjay said that the government has failed students on multiple fronts. "Students travel across cities to sit for this exam. This government has failed students on so many levels," he said. FAIMA Doctors Association President Dr Rohan Krishnan said that the association stands with the students.

"The last-minute cancellation of the NEET-PG examination is very sad for all of us... All the candidates had reached their examination centres in various cities... I hope that the National Board of Examinations had concrete reasons to postpone this examination and they should come up with immediate answers. I request the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to come forward and tell me what was the reason for postponing the exam?... I want to assure the students that we stand with them and we will make sure that the next date is given with ample time," Krishnan said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) Examination on Saturday, which was scheduled to be held on Sunday and said that a fresh date will be announced at the earliest. The NEET-PG exams were scheduled to be held on June 23.

This postponement of NEET-PG exams came on the heels of decision to remove Subodh Kumar Singh from his position as Director-General of the National Testing Agency, which has come under fire for an alleged paper leak and irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, and other examinations which it conducts.

"Taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of the processes of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination for medical students," the ministry statement read.

"It has accordingly been decided, as a precautionary measure, to postpone the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, scheduled to be held on 23rd June 2024. The fresh date of this examination will be notified at the earliest," the ministry added. "The Ministry of Health sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to the students. This decision has been taken in the best interests of the students and to maintain the sanctity of the examination process," the health ministry said.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns.

The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvements in data security protocols and the functioning of the NTA. The 7-member committee, led by ISRO former chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan, will submit its report to the ministry in the next two months.

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