Decision On NEET In Online Or Pen-And-Paper Expected Soon: Dharmendra Pradhan – News18

Last Updated:December 25, 2024, 23:35 IST

The Education Ministry has held two rounds of discussions with the Health Ministry to deliberate on the mode of the NEET UG exam.

The Education and Health Ministries are currently deliberating on whether to conduct the NEET-UG medical entrance exam in pen-and-paper mode or shift it to online mode. A decision on this matter is expected soon, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday.

The Education Ministry has held two rounds of discussions with the Health Ministry, led by Union Minister JP Nadda.

At present, NEET-UG is conducted offline in pen-and-paper mode, where candidates solve multiple-choice questions (MCQs) using OMR sheets. NEET remains the largest entrance exam in India, with over 24 lakh candidates appearing in 2024.

“The administrative ministry of NEET is the Health Ministry, and we are in talks with them to decide whether NEET should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online mode. We have already conducted two rounds of talks with the Health Ministry led by JP Nadda. Whatever option is deemed best for conducting the exam, the NTA is prepared to implement it,” Pradhan told reporters.

The Minister further added that the decision will be announced soon, with reforms likely to be implemented for the 2025 edition of the exam. “The methodology and protocol for NEET will be finalized and notified shortly,” he said.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), conducted by the NTA, determines admission to undergraduate medical courses such as MBBS, BDS, and traditional medicine courses like Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. India currently offers 1,08,000 MBBS seats, with approximately 56,000 seats in government colleges and 52,000 in private institutions.

The idea of transitioning NEET to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format is not new and has been previously discussed. However, the push for reforms intensified after the paper leak controversy earlier this year.

Amid alleged irregularities in NEET-UG and other examinations, including UGC-NET, the Centre had set up a high-level panel in July to ensure fair and transparent conduct of exams by the NTA. The committee, headed by former ISRO Chief R. Radhakrishnan, suggested exploring multi-stage testing for NEET-UG as a viable solution. The panel recommended establishing a framework for scoring, ranking, and determining the number of attempts at each stage.

The committee also includes prominent figures such as:

Former AIIMS Delhi Director Randeep Guleria

Central University of Hyderabad Vice-Chancellor B.J. Rao

IIT Madras Professor Emeritus K. Ramamurthy

IIT Delhi Dean of Student Affairs Aditya Mittal

MoE Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal

Additionally, two experts from IIT Kanpur, Amey Karkare (Professor of Computer Science) and Debapriya Roy (Assistant Professor), were also co-opted.

The committee was tasked with reviewing the security protocols for setting exam papers and making recommendations to strengthen the integrity and robustness of the system.

The urgency for reforms comes in the wake of controversies surrounding NEET and UGC-NET, which included alleged paper leaks and the cancellation of exams like CSIR-UGC NET and NEET PG as precautionary measures. Both NEET and UGC-NET are under CBI investigation.

The final decision regarding NEET’s mode of conduct will be closely monitored, and reforms will aim to ensure a fair, smooth, and secure examination process.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)