'Buck stops with Prime Minister Modi': Panel on NEET

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel may recommended that the government adopts the computer-based testing method over the traditional pen and paper system, to ensure security over paper leaks, in light of the cancellation of the NEET-UG exams due to a paper leak. The committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports led by Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh had made the observation during a meeting with officials. 

The panel had summoned the Director General of the National Testing Agency, as well as education and health ministry officials, in addition to the representatives of doctors from the United Doctors Front to quiz it over the various methods of examination, and look at comparisons between the pen and paper methods and the CBT system. The panel has also summoned the CBSE and education ministry on Tuesday to speak about the onscreen marking (OSM) method and the three language policy. 

After the meeting, chairperson Digvijaya Singh said that the buck stops with the prime minister. “The PM is so miffed with the failures of Dharmendra Pradhan, that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself. Hence, it is their responsibility, we hope that it will be addressed... Now we are hoping that under the PM, paper leak would not happen,” he said. 

Members attending the meeting said that while several members gave suggestions on how the exams could be made more secure, the overwhelming majority agreed that a computer-based model will ensure lesser security loopholes. Last week, the government had deliberated over whether the Indian Air Force could be roped in to ensure safe delivery of the papers to exam halls. 

Another member said that while a strong report had been submitted to the government the last time the UGC-NET had to be cancelled due to such leaks, the government was yet to act on several recommendations. 

The same panel had, last week, also explored the possibility of an unified exam for engineering and medical entrance instead of IIT-JEE and NEET-UG. During the meeting, NTA refused to call the NEET-UG episode a “leak” and said that it will wait till the CBI does so; the CBI is carrying out an investigation in the matter.