Who Monitors the Monitor: Inside the NEET Exam Crisis

This Blog is Written by Paiyyavula Ramya, BA LLB, NALSAR, Hyderabad.

The Burden of a Broken System: Why Students Are Paying for NEET Failures?

Every single year, more than 22 lakh students across India lock themselves in their rooms, give up their social lives, and sacrifice their sleep. Our parents spend lakhs of their hard-earned money on coaching classes, hoping to see us succeed. We do all of this for one single reason to clear NEET and fulfil our dream of becoming a doctor. It is a journey full of immense pressure, but we do it honestly because we trust the system to give us a fair chance. But right now, that trust is completely broken. We are facing an absolute crisis, going through so many upside-down curves and topsy turvies at the very initial stages of our lives. The system has failed, but they are making the students fail. It feels like students are facing punishments because of the failures of someone else.

The 2024 Context: Where the Trust First Broke

To understand why we are all so angry and frustrated, we have to look back at the 2024 exam, because this nightmare did not just start out of nowhere. In 2024, a paper circulated, and the NTA gave unexplained grace marks to certain students. Suddenly, 67 members were given a perfect score of 720 out of 720. There was no convincing explanation from the NTA for what the need was to add those grace marks, which was a grave injustice to honest students who worked for every single mark. Protests happened back then just like they are happening now, the case went to the Supreme Court, and there were CBI investigations. Sadly, the big bugs in the system were not caught in 2024. Because those bugs were not fixed, the system remained broken, leading right into the current crisis. This year the leak was not a last-minute deal either because the paper was being distributed between students, doctors, and teachers for more than a month. It was a completely pre planned leak.

The Scoring and Money Game

When you look closely, the entire scoring system of NEET feels completely broken. Look at JEE IIT where if you score even half marks on that paper, you can get an All India Rank 1 because the exam evaluates pure ability. But the same thing is not happening in NEET, why? On top of that, look at how medical colleges are managed. Why does it feel like management seats matter more than student merit? We desperately need a proper regulatory mechanism that looks into and regulates the fees and management quotas. This regulatory mechanism should conclude by declaring that pure merit becomes the criteria, and it must be prioritized over money.

Who Monitors the Monitor?

This brings us to a major question who monitors the monitor. The NTA holds all the students accountable for any failure, so is it not the right of the students to expect the same discipline from the NTA. One should be held accountable, and we must seek answers from the current education system. Honestly, the resignation of authorities in such situation will act like a deterrent. It will establish a standard so that in the future, authorities will not be reckless with our lives. Punish the authorities, not the students. Plug the bugs in the system, do not punish the students. In this digital age, a foolproof system using AI is literally possible, so lawmakers should look into it and find real solutions. We need insightful discussions on this in the legislature, along with the respective boards, public officials, and the students themselves.

The Mental and Emotional Toll

People on the outside think appearing for a RE NEET is just about writing a paper once again. But it is not just about preparation. It is about the heavy anxiety and stress that all students go through. It is about our mental health. Imagine the massive level of stress it takes to attempt just one NEET paper, and now imagine the level of anxiety in writing a RE NEET. The real question is, who will pay for the mental and emotional toll that the students endure during this exam. As a society, do we not have any responsibility over this. We are all angry and frustrated because we have to go through all of this. These circumstances are completely out of our hands, so we have to adapt to them, but we cannot forget that it all happened because of the failure of someone. The system itself should be rechecked and recorrected so this scam never happens again.

Do Not Bottle It Up

My advice to my fellow students is simple we will have to talk to our parents, teachers, counsellors, family, and friends. Students should not bottle up emotions, because if you do, your stress levels and anxiety will only increase. We need to look out for each other right now. Every single year, 22 lakh students give this exam. Lakhs on coaching are spent by parents, drop years are taken by many students, and we completely leave our social lives and sleep behind. Our mental health is a constant struggle and stress, all for just giving a RE-NEET. This is a total failure of the system, but it is absolutely not a failure of these people.