Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called for several reforms to “protect the integrity” of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted annually by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to undergraduate medical and paramedical courses across the country.
Sarma proposed nine changes on behalf of the state to the Director General of the NTA during a video conference with him and his team.
Revealing the details of the discussion, Sarma said the meeting was sought following a “discreet inquiry” by the state police, “where it was suspected that some students clearing NEET at private exam centres in the state were securing abnormally high marks.”
The state Assembly had in March passed two bills to regulate the functioning of private coaching centres and private universities in Assam. These developments come in the wake of alleged examination-related malpractices during the Class 12 final examinations, involving the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya, which led to the arrest of its chancellor Mahbubul Hoque.
Sarma stated on Monday that his government has proposed the following nine changes to the NTA to “protect the integrity of NEET”:
- All examination centres should be located only in government or government-aided colleges.
- Implementation of safeguards related to the movement, distribution and storage of examination materials.
- Aadhaar-based/biometric verification of candidates at the examination centres.
- CCTV surveillance at all examination centres.
- A detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for frisking at every centre.
- Personal visits by the district commissioner and superintendent of police to each examination centre before the exam, including thorough sanitisation of venues.
- Deployment of senior civil service and police officers to review and monitor the preparation and conduct of the examination.
- Close coordination between the Assam chief secretary, DGP, and NTA director general to ensure meticulous planning.
- Zero tolerance towards malpractice, with strict legal action against anyone attempting to subvert the process.
“We are committed to holding every exam with the highest level of transparency, and with NEET being a very important examination, we are deploying all assets to ensure its fair and smooth conduct,” Sarma said.