Recently, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), seeking a reply in the NEET-UG result irregularities case.
Supreme Court issues notice to NTA over NEET-UG 2024 paper leak allegations
- There have been 41 paper leaks over the last five years in 15 states such as UP Constable Recruitment and Promotion Exam Paper, 2023, Rajasthan Eligibility for Elementary Teachers (REET), etc.
- About the NEET 2024 Issue:
- Allegations of Irregularities: The NEET UG 2024 results revealed a historic occurrence with 67 candidates achieving a perfect score, sparking allegations of irregularities. Reports of paper leaks and fraud also have surfaced.
- Technical Glitches and Exam Mismanagement: Technical issues and delays were reported at several exam centers and hence grace marks were awarded to some students as per NTA.
- Action Taken:
- Formation of Expert Panel to Review: The NTA clarified that grace marks were awarded to compensate for exam time loss, prompting the Ministry of Education to form a panel to review the situation.
- Judicial View: The Supreme Court is currently hearing multiple petitions regarding these issues.
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About National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) and the Raising Issue
- Deals With: The NEET, formerly the All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian medical and dental colleges.
- Introduced in 2013, by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and is now conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Tamil Nadu’s Opposition to NEET Entrance
- Violation of Federalism: The state said that NEET is imposed by the Centre without consulting the state governments and disregards the diversity and needs of different regions.
- More Inclusive Indigenous System: It also said that it has its own admission system based on the marks obtained in the Class 12 board exams, which is considered more inclusive and equitable than NEET.
- Discrimination for Students: According to A.K. Rajan committee, appointed by the Tamil Nadu Government in 2021, NEET disproportionately benefited repeaters (71% in 2021) and coached students (99% in 2020) and discriminated against first-time applicants.
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- It was alleged to favor CBSE students.
- Rise in Student Suicides: Many students who have performed well in their board exams or have a passion for medicine have lost hope and confidence after failing to clear NEET.
About National Testing Agency (NTA)
- Establishment: NTA has been established as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational institutions.
- Mandate: The NTA is entrusted to maintain international standards, efficiency, transparency and error free delivery for admissions and recruitment and address issues using best in every field, from test preparation, to test delivery and to test marking.
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Major Issues with the Indian Examination System
- Lack of Credibility: There is a lack of credibility and consistency in examinations conducted by different boards and universities.
- Frequent Scandals: There are frequent reports of scandals related to paper leaks, cheating, and fake degrees, which erodes public trust in the examination system.
- Separate Assessment: Employers often disregard university/board certificates and conduct their own assessments of candidates.
- Overemphasis on Memory: Exams tend to test only rote learning and memory instead of higher-order skills like application, analysis, critical thinking, etc.
- Miss on Understanding: It leads to teaching practices focused solely on making students memorize content instead of truly understanding concepts.
- Flawed Assessments: Question papers often have errors, ambiguous questions, test irrelevant content, etc.
- Lack of Quality: Evaluation of answer sheets is also not standardized and differences in student learning are not properly reflected in grades awarded. This shows a lack of quality control in setting papers and checking them.
- Secrecy and Lack of Transparency: The entire exam process from setting papers to evaluating answer sheets is highly confidential. This lack of transparency allows mediocre practices to continue and facilitates exam malpractices.
- Inadequate Regulations: Regulators promote academic autonomy for colleges but do not enforce enough oversight on them. The decentralized system has led to a lack of standardization in learning assessments across institutions.
- Inadequate Penalties and Enforcement: The existing laws which criminalize cheating have not led to convictions which demonstrates lack of effective enforcement and penalties.
- Lack of Special Investigation Agency: India lacks a dedicated agency to investigate all types of examination offenses and bring culprits to justice quickly.
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Impacts of Frequent Paper Leaks in India
- Emotional, Mental and Physical Fatigue: With the cancellation of exams, there is an increase in the fatigue of students and the fear of a new generation of aspirants joining the queue.
- Also, students from remote rural backgrounds and marginalized castes are disproportionately impacted as they come from economically backward backgrounds and such a cancellation of exams impacts them a lot.
- Disruption of Academic Calendars: The postponement and cancellation of exams due to paper leaks throw the academic schedules into disarray and cause uncertainty for students.
- Loss of Trust and Confidence: The frequent paper leaks lead to students losing their faith in the fairness of exams and questioning the value of their efforts and education.
About Public Examinations Bill 2024
- The Public Examinations Bill 2024 comes against the backdrop of the cancellation of a series of competitive tests such as:
- Teacher recruitment exam in Rajasthan.
- Common Eligibility Test (CET) for Group-D posts in Haryana.
- Recruitment exam for junior clerks in Gujarat.
- Public Examinations Bill Constable recruitment examination in Bihar following question paper leaks.
- According to estimates, there have been more than 70 cases of question paper leaks in the country between 2016 and 2023 and more than 1.5 crore students have been affected by paper leaks.
Major Highlights of Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024
- Objective of the Bill: To bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems and to prevent unfair means in the public examinations.
- Serve as Model Draft: The Bill will serve as a model draft for States to adopt at their discretion which will aid States in preventing criminal elements from disrupting conduct of their State level public examinations.
- Defines Public Examinations: It is defined as any examination conducted by a public examination authority listed in the Schedule of the Bill, or any such other authority as may be notified by the Central Government.
- Schedule Lists Five Public Examination Authorities: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), and National Testing Agency (NTA).
- Unfair Means in Examination: Bill lists at least 15 actions that amount to using unfair means in public examinations for monetary or wrongful gain, including:
- Leakage of question paper or answer key, tampering with answer sheets, directly or indirectly assisting the candidate, conduct of fake examination, etc.
- Punishment for Violations:
- Person Resorting to Unfair Means: Three to five years in prison, and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.
- If the convict fails to pay the fine, additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed, as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
- Service Providers: Those engaged to provide for the conduct of the examination can be fined up to Rs 1 crore, along with other penalties.
- Organised Paper Leaks: Imprisonment for a term not less than five years, may extend to ten years and a fine which shall not be less than one crore rupees”.
- Does Not Target Candidates: Candidates appearing for the exams have been left out of its purview.
- National Technical Committee on Public Examinations: The bill proposes a high-level committee that will make recommendations to make the computerised examination process more secure.
Anti Cheating Laws in States
- Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand Assembly passed the Bill to bar and penalise the use of unfair means in public examinations in March 2023.
- Gujarat: In 2023, the Gujarat Assembly passed a law to penalise cheating in public examinations.
- Other States: Rajasthan (Act passed in 2022), Uttar Pradesh (Act passed in 1998) and Andhra Pradesh (Act passed in 1997) also have similar laws.
Government Initiatives to Enhance Transparency in Examinations
- Introducing self-attestation.
- Shortening examination cycle (18-22 months to 6-10 months).
- Doing away with interviews for recruitment to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’.
- Introduction of computer-based tests.
- Issuance of appointment letters through digital means under “Rojgar Mela”.
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Way Forward
- Enhanced Security Measures: To prevent paper leaks and malpractices, there is a need to implement stricter security protocols such as more robust digital encryption and increased surveillance at exam centers.
- The NTA must, with the assistance of States, ensure that technical glitches and cheating scams, including premature release of question papers, and using proxies, do not recur.
- Technological Improvements: To address technical glitches, better infrastructure and backup systems are required to ensure a smooth exam process.
- Example: Transition to online exams could be a better solution, as it reduces the risks associated with printing and distribution.
- Real-time support and troubleshooting teams can help to mitigate issues during the exam.
- It is essential for the NTA to enhance its security measures further to prevent such incidents by incorporating better technology for paper distribution and more rigorous checks at exam centers.
- Use of technology for standardized question paper setting and automated evaluations.
- Modification in the Syllabus: Greater emphasis on evaluating higher-order skills, not just memory recall.
- To address the issue of regional board students, it is required to modify the NEET syllabus to ensure a level playing field for all candidates.
- Policy and Structural Reforms: To address the allegations that NEET is facing from its formation, there is a need to establish a review committee to regularly assess its process and suggest improvements.
- External audit of exam boards and publishing performance reports periodically.
- Continuous assignments and assessments in addition to final exams.
- Grievance redressal mechanisms for students regarding evaluation.
- Need to ensure minimum quality standards through stricter monitoring.
- Grading institutions on exam quality parameters like transparency, reliability, etc.
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- Maintain Transparency and Build Communication: Improved transparency from the NTA regarding the steps taken to ensure exam integrity can help rebuild trust among students.
- Also, a clear and timely communication about the examination process and any issues that arise will be critical.
- Ensuring transparency in the exam process through external oversight.
- Shift Education to the State List: It is desirable and required that education can be shifted from the Concurrent List to the State List of the Constitution as it would give more autonomy and flexibility to the states to decide their own admission policies and criteria.
- It would also enable the states to design their education system according to their regional needs and aspirations and avoid conflicts with the Centre over common entrance tests like NEET.
- Strike a Balance between Equity and Quality: There is a need to devise a more inclusive and holistic admission process that considers both NEET scores and Class XII marks, as well as other factors such as aptitude, socio-economic status, regional diversity, and rural service.
- It would ensure and promote both merit and social justice.
- Compensation in Case of Exam Cancellation: Compensation should be provided to candidates for years of labor, exorbitant financial cost, and the emotional toll incurred.
- Establishment of Fast-track Courts: It must be established for the trial and convictions for people involved in paper leaks.
- Strict Penalties and its Enforcement: As per the Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act, there is a need to impose stringent penalties on persons resorting to unfair means.
- Public Awareness: Creating awareness among the public, particularly students, about the consequences of engaging in malpractices by engaging with educational institutions, civil society organisations, and the media and fostering a culture of integrity.
- Strengthening Examination Administration: Addressing corruption within examination administration requires stringent measures to detect and punish offenders, ensuring accountability and transparency in the conduct of examinations is imperative.
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June 11, 2024
