'Organise Exams Like Elections, Include Police & Intel Officials In NTA': Drishti IAS Founder On NEET Controversy

In a podcast with news agency ANI, Vikas Divyakirti says the organisation of exams like NEET should be handled with the same seriousness as elections to maintain public trust.

Drishti IAS Founder On NEET Controversy: In light of recent controversies surrounding the NEET, Drishti IAS founder and Managing Director Vikas Divyakirti has called for improvement in exam preparation procedures.

Drishti IAS is an educational institute in India that provides coaching and training for students preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. In a podcast with news agency ANI, Divyakirti said civil servants, including representatives from the police and Intelligence Bureau (IB), should be assigned to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET, adding that organisation of such exams should be handled with the same seriousness as elections to maintain public trust.

He said the controversies surrounding NEET are an issue of systemic negligence. "[That] A country which can hold elections for voters so smoothly can't hold an exam for 23 lakh students cannot be believed," he added. "Forming the NTA was the right step, but the NTA either didn't get enough support or there was corruption within the institute."

"Civil servants should be on deputation in NTA, which should include people from police and IB, be it just one or two. Preparations for exam should be done with the same seriousness as elections so the trust is not breached," he added.

In 1996, Divyakirti passed the UPSC Civil Services Examination on his first attempt, securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 384. He worked for a short time at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, but his true passion was in teaching. In the podcast, he shares his story of moving from a career as a civil servant to becoming an educator.

The NEET UG 2024 controversy is one of several scandals surrounding professional exams in India of late. It centres on allegations of paper leak, with students kicking up a furore over the high share of near-perfect scores in an exam where it is considered difficult to secure such marks.

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