Students Protest Against NTA at Osmania University Over Exam Issues
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at Osmania University in Hyderabad against the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday. The protest was due to alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam. During the protest, students burnt an effigy of the NTA.
Reasons for the Protest
The protest was sparked by recent irregularities and paper leaks in exams conducted by the NTA. The Ministry of Education cancelled the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) exam conducted by the NTA on June 18, citing compromised integrity.
Ministry of Education’s Statement
The Ministry of Education stated, “On June 19, 2024, the University Grants Commission (UGC) received certain inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs on the Examination. These inputs prima-facie indicate that the integrity of the aforesaid examination may have been compromised.”
NEET-UG Exam Issues
The NEET-UG 2024 exam was held on May 5, and results were announced on June 4, earlier than the scheduled date of June 14. Following the release of the results, there were protests alleging irregularities and paper leaks. It was revealed that 67 students had achieved a perfect score of 720.
Supreme Court Involvement
On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1563 candidates who were awarded “grace marks” in the NEET-UG 2024 exam would be cancelled. These candidates have the option to reappear for the exam on June 23, with results declared before June 30, or forgo the compensatory marks given for the loss of time.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is crucial for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
