NEET Controversy: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Calls Exam A 'Scam', Says It's 'Unfair To Poor'

In a post on X, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin says the ongoing controversies around NEET 'highlight its fundamentally inequitable nature'.

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin criticises NEET following the controversy triggered by the UG 2024 exam. ( Image Source :PTI )

NEET Controversy: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has criticised the NEET UG 2024 exam, saying it is unfair. Stalin voiced his concerns in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The NEET UG results 2024 have sparked a controversy, with over 60 students achieving a perfect score of 720, and others scoring 718 or 719, scores considered impossible within the NEET UG exam framework. There have also been accusations of paper leaks. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, has explained that the high scores were due to compensatory marks given because of reduced exam time at some centres, and a question having two correct answers. The NTA has also dismissed claims of "inflated marks", attributing the high scores to increased competition and the exam being easier this year.

Stalin said "NEET, masquerading as a measure of merit, is a scam". "The Centre must stop defending the national test as it goes against the interests of students and it is also against social justice and the poor," he added.

"Despite the Union Education Minister's defence of the National Testing Agency (NTA), recent events paint a different picture. The Gujarat Police have registered an FIR over allegations of invigilators tampering with OMR sheets in exchange for monetary benefits, involving cheques worth several crore rupees and eight blank cheques. This conspiracy, implicating a school principal, a physics teacher, and several NEET coaching centres, underscores the urgent need for systemic change," Stalin said.

The ongoing controversies around NEET "highlight its fundamentally inequitable nature", Stalin said. "In a society where education has been denied for thousands of years, we should offer more opportunities for advancement of the oppressed. On the contrary, NEET hinders the opportunities of such students," the CM added.

Stalin said the NEET controversy "highlights major problems in India's education system that need fixing right away".