NEET examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency, an autonomous organization under the by the Union Ministry of Education.
Education is important for the future of any country/society. It is an important ministry because the future of the country is closely associated with this, especially higher and professional education such as MBBS, MS, MD, etc. But it is unfortunate that those who head the ministry hardly understand what education is all about; the minds and psychology of students; the future of students who are going to lead the country by taking up important areas of leaderships.
Education can be evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. For example, the number of colleges and universities, budget allocated for higher education, the number of students passed out each year from these institutions and so on. All these would be part of quantifications, but when we enter into qualitative analysis some of the common yardsticks applied are: has it created critical awareness and enhanced creative applications; enhanced professionalism and enhanced horizons of understanding connecting the micro-macro realities and so on.
NEET examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency, an autonomous organization under the by the Union Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, has ripped open the innate contradictions showing gaps and holes in its administration and application. NEET is known for high costs, poor infra, scams, and unrealistic demands thereby putting the MBBS, MS and MD in dire straits. Known for conducting a retest this year—2026, which is relatively not a small number—about 20 lakhs. The fiasco over NEET has pushed students to challenge the centralised admission process. Several state governments, including Tamil Nadu, have argued that NEET has not necessarily improved the quality of MBBS education and point to the period when Tamil Nadu managed its own medical admissions as evidence of a successful alternative programme.
Centralising NEET means controlling the most wanted discipline—professional education like medicine. It is in the hands of the central government. Admission process at surface levels seems to be tough and comprehensive, but while delivery system has lots of problems. The ills of medical education are many, and the issues chronic, as the framework itself is the problem. No one knows where to start and how to go about. NEET is chaotic. In all these, the coaching industry is getting monopolised and thus controls it. Though there is such a rush for admission in government medical colleges, the infrastructures are very poor.
Though private medical institutes offer better opportunities, the fee structure is so high- on an average of INR 45 and INR 55 lakhs. Whereas in government medical colleges, fee is reasonable. NRI seats can go up to INR 1.4 crores for a 4–5-year MBBS course. A six-year MBBS course in Ukraine, Russia or China costs about INR 35 Lakhs. Therefore, what the entire system of medical examination and its paraphernalia reflects the following: poor administration system, sleazing huge money from aspirants.
Earlier, we have come across that NEET-PG administrators managing the unthinkable with the qualifying cut-off mark falling to zero, reflecting the extremely poor quality. How could candidates, all MBBS graduates, unable to score even 30-35% on an MBBS-cased entrance test, be considered for specialist training? A low cut-off means lower-ranked, affluent students obtain seats, at the cost of higher scoring but less affluent ones. What happens to the ‘merit’ argument? Maintaining a higher cut-off can, in fact, force private colleges to reduce fees to fill up seats. But that doesn’t happen. Why?
The actual picture of the system of medicine and all that enjoined with it show poor management, power, money, and authority. The Government at the Centre is using NEET as its power play with the students, opposition, and civil society. They are the futures of India and the world. Suppressing their voices and demands by the ruling regime can have far-fetched consequences. If we look at the demands and supply of aspirants for medicine, it is highly volatile and topsy-turvy.
Contrary to aims and objectives, due to more demand for MBBS course, the government has turned it into a business. Merit hardly counts in NEET. The Centre claims that it has brought fairness, merit, transparency and accountability to medical system. None of this manifest truth as exam paper leaks and mal-practices has affected the system. The rush for MBBS, MS, and MD courses will continue. By and large, many aspirants think that career in medicine is more lucrative than other disciplines. But the fact remains that only a few are able to progress and the percentage of those wanting to serve the poor and the vulnerable is quiet less. Many take up the profession for riches.
The recent student demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party attracted one of the largest gatherings the capital city has witness, with lakhs of youth joining the protest to reform education system and seeking Education Minister’s resignation.
After the farmers' protests, this has emerged as one of the biggest mass movements led by students. The protests have disrupted the Winter Session of Parliament, with opposition parties staging demonstrations and raising slogans while demanding accountability from the government. If students’ concerns are not addressed, the consequences could be far-reaching. As Oscar Wilde famously remarked, "Examinations, Sir, are pure humbug from the beginning to the end." Critics of the NEET system argue that it has become deeply flawed, alleging that it is vulnerable to manipulation, irregularities, and cronyism, thereby undermining public confidence in the examination process.
Dr. John Mohan Razu