On Sunday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) reported that 813 out of 1563 candidates appeared for the NEET-UG retest. The retest was organised for candidates who experienced time loss during the originally scheduled examination on May 5.
According to the NTA, "Only 52 percent of the total 1563 candidates gave the retest on June 23. Attendance was 813 in total. At two Jajjar centres, the attendance was 58.09 percent. Out of 494 candidates, 287 gave the retest."
The NTA also reported that 63 candidates were debarred across the country for malpractice during the NEET examination. Specifically, "17 candidates from Bihar have been debarred for malpractice, and 30 candidates from centres in Godhra have been debarred," the NTA noted.
The retest announcement followed allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG, including paper leaks. In response to these allegations, the NTA stated on Sunday that its website and all its web portals are secure, dismissing claims of compromised data as "wrong and misleading."
"The NTA website and all its web portals are fully secure. Any information that has been compromised and hacked is wrong and misleading," the NTA stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Despite the NTA's reassurances, the agency is under heavy criticism for alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance-Test (NEET) (UG) Examination 2024. This controversy has sparked an uproar across the country, with opposition parties demanding the scrapping of the testing agency. Concerns were heightened after an unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720.
In light of the NEET irregularities allegations, the Centre took the step of postponing the NEET-PG exam a day before its scheduled date and cancelling the UGC-NET exam that was conducted on June 18.
The re-examination for NEET-UG was intended to offer a fair opportunity to those affected by the issues on the original exam date. However, the overall low attendance for the retest suggests a variety of reasons candidates might have opted out, possibly including scepticism about the fairness and security of the process.
As the NTA continues to manage the fallout from these allegations, the integrity and future of standardised testing in India remain a topic of intense scrutiny and debate. The agency's next steps and the government's response will be closely watched by students, educators, and policymakers alike.
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