Page 64 - EW July 2024

Special Report

clined to cancel NEET-UG 2024 and/ second baptism by fire. Initially he
or postpone the admission counseling refused to admit any irregularity in the
and seat allotment processes sched- “motivated” NEET-UG 2024 contro-
uled to start on July 6, while adjourn- versy. But subsequently he has been
ing hearing petitions to July 8. forced to backtrack, promising that
M EDICAL EDUCATION paper leakage and marks manipula-
NTA and other officials involved in
qualifications
tion would receive the “harshest pun-
are
highly prized by India’s
Moreover on June 20, after the
influential 200 million- ishment”.
strong middle class which dominates education ministry ordered cancella-
industry, academia, government and tion of the UGC-NET — an exam con-
legal profession. They guarantee high ducted twice annually by the NTA to
income and social status in a society in determine the eligibility of candidates
which the doctor-population ratio is a for the positions of assistant professor
lopsided 0.7 per 1,000 (cf. the WHO and Ph D admissions — following re-
recommended 1:1,000), and are also ports that the exam paper had leaked
passports to lucrative assignments Pradhan: "full moral responsibility" on the dark net, a visibly chastened
and practice abroad. Therefore, par- Pradhan called a press conference
ents often make great financial sacri- year. And students admitted into the and took “full moral responsibility” for
fices to enroll teenage school-leavers discretionary ‘management’ quota of the NEET-UG debacle and UGC-NET
in specialised test prep centres — a private medical colleges have to fork exam cancellation.
massive Rs.58,000 crore annual rev- out Rs.15-32 lakh per year. Therefore “Be it NTA or any top official or se-
enue industry — to drill and skill stu- there’s a frenzied annual race for the nior person in NTA, strict action will
dents to top NEET-UG and qualify for 56,300 seats in 389 government col- be taken against whoever is found
admission into government medical leges to study for a medical degree at guilty in the case. No malpractice will
colleges which provide medical edu- rock-bottom prices with toppers ad- be tolerated and the government is
cation at over-subsidised prices. mitted into the best equipped AIIMS committed to holding zero-error ex-
For instance, highest ranked stu- colleges paying (tuition and residence) ams. The government has formed a
dents eligible for admission into the a mere Rs.1,00-1,500 per month. high-level committee which will in-
country’s 19 AIIMS (All India Insti- With the stakes so high and the vestigate several issues pertaining to
tute of Medical Sciences) colleges pay NEET-UG 2024 fiasco making front the NTA. Recommendations will be
annual tuition of a mere Rs.1,000- page headlines in print, television and expected from that high-level com-
17,500 per year. In other government social media, and a newly-strength- mittee to further improve NTA, its
medical colleges, fees range between ened Opposition led by the rejuvenat- structure, functioning, examination
Rs.5,000-55,000 per year (for five ed Congress Party cornering the less process, transparency, and data secu-
years). In the 317 private medical than month-old BJP-led NDA 3.0 gov- rity protocol. I want to assure every-
colleges, officially approved tuition ernment, education minister Dhar- one that the government is committed
ranges between Rs.10-25 lakh per mendra Pradhan experienced a to protecting the interests of students.

NEET-UG 2024 DATA

No. of seats available
2.4 Students 67 students attained
million wrote NEET the maximum possible Government colleges: 56,300
score of 720 (cf. 2 in 2023) Private colleges: 52,640

13 Languages
Tuition fees (5 years)
58,263 scored in the

4,750 Centres 620-720 band Government colleges: Rs.6,000 - 2.25 lakh
countrywide (cf. 13,911 in 2023) Private colleges: Rs.60 lakh-1.4 crore

64 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2024