Shillong, May 9: The state government wanted the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct reexamination of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after anomalies were detected in the examination held on May 5.
The alleged mismanagement of the examination was the distribution of two sets of question papers labeled as MNOP and QRST. This has led to distress among over 400 candidates, as they were initially unsure which set to attempt.
“I have personally spoken to the chairman of the NTA and requested to conduct retest if possible,” Education Minister Rakkam Sangma told reporters.
He met a delegation of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) on Thursday.
“The chairman of the NTA had informed me that they are still assessing the ground reality on what had actually happened. However they have not yet communicated to me,” he said.
The minister said the NTA had sought a report from the centre. “Therefore, we are waiting for the decision to be taken by the NTA in this regard,” he said.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has also taken up the matter with the concerned authority in Delhi, he said.
He said the health department is also taking up the matter with the central agency. “Principal Secretary in-charge Health Sampath Kuman is also intouch with NTA,” he said.
The delegation along with the affected students have urged the education minister to intervene to ensure that reexamination is conducted for NEET in West Jaintia Hills and Ri Bhoi districts.
The KSU and JSU have alleged grave discrepancies during the NEET examination held in Jowai on May 5.
“This situation is deeply concerning as students, through no fault of their own, have been subjected to the consequences of mismanagement by untrained invigilators. The provision of multiple sets of question papers without adequate guidance and the failure to allocate extra time to compensate for the time lost after the clarification of the correct set exacerbates the issue,” the pressure groups said.
VPP reaction
