NEW NEET CUT-OFF WILL BE OF ZERO HELP TO WORTHY WARDS

SINCE its inception in 2013, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has faced criticism on multiple fronts. Firstly, the decision to conduct a centralised exam in a country as diverse as India, with its multiple education systems and testing methods, has been the target of ongoing scrutiny.

- JOHN J KENNEDY

Additionally, the manner in which students have endured unnecessary hardships and inconveniences before and during the examinations, ostensibly to ensure accountability and prevent malpractices, has garnered widespread condemnation. It is worth mentioning that these measures failed to curb malpractices effectively. What is even more disconcerting is that some instances of malpractice have involved officials, revealing glaring loopholes and casting doubt on the reliability and efficacy of the system.

Now, a recent announcement by the National Medical Commission has reignited the debate surrounding NEET, raising doubts about its much-touted efficacy. On September 20, following the health ministry's directive, the commission announced rather worryingly the reduction of the qualifying percentile for NEET to 'zero' across all categories for postgraduate programmes. The decision, as expected, elicited a range of reactions from astonishment to shock and ridicule. In India's higher education history, this is perhaps the first time zero has become the qualifying percentile for specialised medical education. One cannot help but question if the yardsticks should become more stringent as education becomes more specialised or entirely relaxed to admit everyone who takes the exam.