STOP THE COMMERCIALISATION OF EDUCATION THROUGH CENTRALISED EXAMS LIKE NEET, CUET!
The anti-people nature of the current education system stands exposed with the recent series of events, starting with the paper leak in NEET UG 2024, followed by the cancellation of UGC NET after the exam and postponing CSIR NET and NEET PG for 'logistical reasons'. National Testing Agency (NTA) chief Subodh Kumar Singh was forced to resign this week. However, the real culprits behind repeated paper leaks are the growing private coaching industry which has emerged around centralized examinations like JEE, JAM, NEET and government job exams and the lack of sufficient seats in public colleges to match the growing number of aspirants.
NEET UG is India's largest national-level entrance examination for medical aspirants. However, the results released on June 4th revealed significant structural issues, suggesting possible fraud and paper leaks. Sixty-seven students achieved an All India Rank (AIR) of 1 with a perfect score of 720/720, including six who took the exam at the same center in Jhajjar, Haryana owned by a BJP leader's family. Bihar Police has identified several members of a paper leak mafia operating in collusion with coaching centers. While no clarification has been given by the NTA, cancellation or postponement of other exams indicates that similar paper leaks may have occurred. Reports show over 70 paper leaks in the last seven years, affecting the recruitment of crores of job aspirants.
It must be noted that 24 lakh students appeared for NEET UG this year for a mere one lakh MBBS seats, much below the requirements of India's healthcare system. Moreover, this is only a tiny fraction of India's working-age youth whose majority are forced to enter the informal labour force without access to higher education. As of 2023, 47.6% of medical colleges in India are privately owned and run for profit. Aspiring NEET candidates dedicate years to preparing for the exam, often relying on expensive coaching institutes due to the underfunding of the government school system. This intense pressure and isolation have tragically led to numerous student suicides. Students from Dalit, Adivasi, and other marginalized communities are disproportionately affected. In its early years, significant resistance to NEET-UG emerged from Tamil Nadu, where data indicated that its implementation increased student suicides and decreased admissions from state government schools. The NTA has disregarded these issues, demonstrating that student welfareis not among its priorities.
This NEET scandal should be examined in the context of the BJP's infamous 'Vyapam Ghotala' in Madhya Pradesh, which similarly involved the sale of seats for admission to medical colleges. The Indian State's "education for sale" model post-1990s, whether through recurring scams or the pro- privatization and centralization policies like National Education Policy 2020 has failed to secure the interests of Indians. They are a means of preserving a socio-economic system that runs on exploitation and produces massive levels of inequality.
RSYC calls for a thorough investigation into the NEET SCAM 2024.
Abolish the National Testing Agency, dismantle the private coaching industry. and stop the move towards centralized exams like NEET and CUET!
Ensure free and affordable education for all from KG to PG, and ensure full employment of all working-age people!
Revolutionary Students Youth Campaign
AIPSF, AIRSO, BSYF, COLLECTIVE, DYSA, ISU, NBS, PACHHAS, PDSF, PDSO, PDSU, PDYF, PSYA
