NEET row: Kerala Assembly urges Centre for national exam reforms

The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to reform the national exam system, citing repeated irregularities in NEET that have eroded public confidence. The resolution called for accountability and stronger technological safeguards.

Kerala Assembly Demands Exam System Overhaul

The Keralam Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the Centre to undertake comprehensive reforms in the national examination system, with Higher Education Minister Roji M John citing repeated irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and other competitive examinations as a serious threat to the credibility of the country's entrance examination framework.

Moving the resolution in the 16th legislative Assembly, Roji M John said repeated reports of question paper leaks, examination malpractice, technical failures and irregularities in evaluation had eroded public confidence in NEET. "The House is discussing this resolution at a time when the credibility of the NEET examination has come under serious question due to repeated reports of question paper leaks, examination malpractice, administrative and technical failures at examination centres, and irregularities in evaluation and result publication. These developments have raised grave concerns about the transparency, fairness and integrity of one of the country's most important national entrance examinations," the minister said.

He said the controversies had adversely affected lakhs of students, including those from Kerala, and criticised the Centre for failing to respond adequately. "NEET determines the future of lakhs of students aspiring for medical education. The repeated allegations, investigations, court interventions and controversies surrounding the examination have created widespread anxiety among students, parents and the public... Despite serious lapses being exposed, the Central Government and the agencies concerned failed to acknowledge the gravity of the situation in time and take effective corrective measures," he said.

Calls for Accountability and Legal Framework

Roji further argued that recurring controversies surrounding NEET, CUET-UG, UGC-CSIR examinations, Staff Selection Commission, Railway Recruitment Board and CBSE examinations pointed to structural deficiencies in the national examination system. Calling for accountability, he said those involved in examination malpractice should face stringent criminal action while officials responsible for administrative failures should also be held accountable. He urged the Centre to establish stronger technological safeguards, independent oversight and a comprehensive legal framework to restore confidence in national examinations.

Cites Federal Principles

The resolution also stated that since education falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, policy decisions on national entrance examinations should be taken after consulting state governments in keeping with the principles of federalism.

BJP Defends Centre's Actions

Opposing the resolution, BJP MLA V Muraleedharan said concerns over NEET irregularities were genuine but maintained that the Central Government had acted promptly once lapses came to light. "The irregularities reported in the NEET examination have caused concern among students and parents across the country, and the Central Government has treated the issue with utmost seriousness. NEET was not introduced by the Narendra Modi government... The moment these lapses came to light, the Central Government acted decisively. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Union Education Minister, re-examinations were conducted wherever necessary," Muraleedharan said.

He also said the Centre had decided to establish special fast-track courts for the speedy disposal of cases related to examination irregularities and moved an amendment seeking to replace the resolution's criticism of the Centre with an appreciation of its response.

CBI Investigation Continues

Meanwhile, the developments come as the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi on Monday extended the judicial custody of 10 accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case till July 11. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that the accused were part of a network involved in leaking question papers and selling them to candidates for large sums of money. The investigation into the alleged paper leak remains underway. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)