J&K NEET qualifiers voice concern over exam leak

Srinagar, June 25: Amid the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination, qualifiers from Jammu and Kashmir have voiced their concerns over the exam leak, expressing that they feel troubled and have lost interest in their studies.
Misba Ashraf, NEET qualifier from Kulgam said the controversy has affected the students saying the re-examination should be conducted at places where the NEET paper was leaked.
“We have lost the rhythm for the retest for the examination. The controversy has badly affected the students and they feel that it is unfair to them. We have worked hard and we have become the victim of the irregularities that have happened at a few places,” she said.
She said it is injustice with the students and students have lost faith in the highest authority and the testing agencies should be made responsible for the mess.
The students are troubled and have lost interest in their studies, stating that preparing for a national-level examination is not easy. “We are confused and have no motivation to open our books again,” he said.
Asmat, another NEET qualifier from North Kashmir’s Pattan area, said they are feeling depressed and discouraged.
“Those who have already qualified with good marks suffer the most since they had thought that they would get admission in some good medical colleges. Now, even we do not sleep at night. We are unsure about our career,” she said.
“We were five in the group and we all have qualified. Now we are all disturbed. We don’t want the exam to be cancelled. This was my third attempt,” she said.
Notably, 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.
Of the 1,563 candidates who were originally awarded grace marks in the NEET-UG before these marks were revoked last week, only 813 (52 per cent) took the retest on Sunday, according to the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The Ministry of Education constituted a 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.
Meanwhile, amid the controversy, National Conference President, Dr Farooq Abdullah termed the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination 2024 cruelty against students.
“Those who qualified for the exams by studying and not buying papers have been subjugated to trouble. Many qualified for the exams by studying, not buying papers,” he said.
He stated that the government of India should carefully reconsider these issues, as they significantly impact students’ careers.
“The retest of the exam should be conducted at those places where the paper was leaked and all NEET qualifiers across the country should not suffer. Conducting any exam across the country is not an easy task,” Abdullah said.
Notably, over 13 lakh candidates out of around 25 lakh qualified the NEET-UG this year and they will compete for around 1.8 lakh MBBS/dental seats.
The controversy over the exam has led to widespread protests across India, with students and opposition parties calling for the exam to be scrapped and demanding a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of paper leaks