NEET Row: “This violates…”Mamata Banerjee urges PM Modi to abolish NEET and restore state run entrance exams

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to "take immediate steps” to restore the previous system of conducting decentralised entrances by the State Governments and “abolish” the NEET examinations. This letter comes amidst controversies surrounding the NEET-UG examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), including issues of paper leaks, erratic marking schemes, and irregularities. Additionally, the NEET-PG entrance has been postponed as a precautionary measure in light of these concerns.

In her letter addressed to PM Modi, she said that prior to 2017, the states were allowed to conduct their own entrance examinations and the Center conducted its own for admission into medical courses. “This system was functioning smoothly and without much problems. This was better attuned to the regional curricula and educational standards,” said Mamata Banerjee. “The State Government usually spends more than Rs.50 lakh per doctor on education and internship. Therefore, the State should be given freedom to select medical students through Joint Entrance Examination,” she added.

“The decentralized system was later changed to a unitary and centralized system of examination (NEET) so as to take complete control of all the admissions in the country in the medical courses without any involvement of the State Governments. This is completely unacceptable and violates the true spirits of the federal structure of the country,” said the West Bengal Chief Minister. The Trinamool Congress Supremo therefore “strongly urged” Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “abolish” the NEET exams, and bring back the decentralised system of conducting entrance examinations by state governments.

Mamata Banerjee also noted that instances of paper leak and other irregularities “jeopardise the career and aspirations” of the several lakh aspirants across the country. “The allegations of paper leak, taking bribes by certain people and the officials involved in the conduct of the Examinations, opening of window to accommodate certain students to apply for examinations, grace marks, etc, are some of the serious issues which need complete attention and requires a thorough, clean and impartial probe. Such instances jeopardise the career and aspirations of lakhs and lakhs of students who look forward to get admission into these medical courses,” wrote the Trinamool Congress Supremo. Banerjee added that such instances not only compromise the quality of medical education but also adversely affect the quality of the medical treatment imparted in the country.

The NEET UG examinations for 2024 were conducted by the NTA on May 5. However, soon after the results were released on June 4, a massive uproar ensued among students. They alleged irregularities and highlighted an erratic marking scheme that led to the allocation of grace marks for students who reportedly didn't have adequate time to complete their exams. Furthermore, there were allegations of paper leaks.

Subsequently, the authorities revoked the initially awarded grace marks. Students who had received these marks were given the option to participate in a retest, which took place on June 23. Out of 1563 candidates eligible for the retest, 813 attended. Meanwhile, the Bihar police have apprehended individuals suspected of leaking the question paper in exchange for substantial sums of money. The Central Bureau of Investigation has initiated a thorough investigation encompassing all aspects of the case.

Following the NEET UG controversy, the NEET PG exams were also postponed, announcements for which were made less than 12 hours before the exams were scheduled on June 23. The Union Health Ministry has assured students that new examination dates for NEET PG will be announced soon.