The investigation into the NEET UG 2024 paper leak has been handed over to the CBI. Students, parents, and coaching teachers had long demanded this. Several petitions are filed in the Supreme Court demanding a CBI investigation, with hearings scheduled for July 8. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police submitted a report to the Ministry of Education by June 21, and late at night, the CBI was tasked with investigating the NEET Paper Leak.
Due to the alleged paper leak, irregularities, and investigation, over 23 million NEET UG candidates are distressed. This number only adds to the tally of impacted students.
In the past 10 days alone, four major exams have been postponed or canceled, catapulting the total number of affected students (including NEET candidates) to over 38 million.
National Council for Teacher Education (NCET)
The June 12 examination for NCET during the afternoon shift was canceled by evening. The National Testing Agency (NTA) cited technical issues as the reason. A total of 40,233 students had registered for the exam, and biometric registration data revealed that about 29,000 candidates from around 160 cities across the country appeared at 292 centers. The goal of NCET 2024 is to admit students to a four-year integrated teacher education program (ITEP) for the 2024-25 academic session at selected that include IITs, NITs, RIEs, and government colleges as well as central and state universities.
University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET)
The UGC NET for Assistant Professor and PhD admissions eligibility was first conducted on June 18. However, the test was canceled on June 19. Over 1.1 million candidates across the country had applied for the UGC NET exam. Upon announcing the cancellation, the Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan reported that parts of the paper were leaked on the dark web and Telegram.
CSIR UGC NET
The National Eligibility Test (NET) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - University Grants Commission (UGC) is a national level exam in India for those aspiring to become Assistant Professors in science and engineering subjects or attain Junior Research Fellowships (JRF). The examination was scheduled for June 25 but was delayed on June 21, with the NTA citing unavoidable reasons. More than 200,000 candidates had registered for this exam.
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET PG)
Following controversies over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, the NEET-PG was postponed as a "precautionary measure". The Ministry of Health stated that a new date would be announced soon. Each year, nearly 200,000 MBBS graduates sit for this exam for approximately 52,000 postgraduate seats nationwide. The National Medical Science Examination Board (NBE), not the NTA, conducts the NEET PG to test advanced medical knowledge.
Examination Postponements/Cancellations Criticized
The consistent postponement or cancellation of major exams has drawn criticism from the Congress towards the BJP government. The Congress's General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on 'Platform X', criticized the state of the country's biggest exams under the BJP rule, stating that the entire educational structure has been handed over to mafias and the corrupt. She alleged that due to political stubbornness and arrogance, paper leaks, exam cancellations, the disappearance of study and writing from campuses, and political hooliganism have become synonymous with our education system. She lamented that the BJP government cannot conduct a single exam transparently and has become the biggest obstacle in the future of the country's youth.
