Education Minister writes to states, calls for safe and successful conduct of NEET exams

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday wrote letters to all Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors, and Administrators across the country, seeking their cooperation in conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) re-examination.

The NEET exams, held on May 3, were cancelled after nationwide furore over paper leaks and alleged irregularities. The re-examination for over 23 lakh medical aspirants will now be held on June 21. The National Testing Agency (NTA), the apex body for conducting competitive exams like NEET, is understood to be working in close coordination with the Education Ministry and pulling out all the stops for safe, transparent examinations, this time, given public anger and outrage over paper leaks that led to the cancellation of exams.

The Union Minister, in his letter, has urged all state governments to cooperate to ensure fair and seamless examinations, particularly in the wake of the severe heatwave conditions. He has asked the state administrations to ensure the availability of all essential basic facilities at examination centres, for the convenience and well-being of aspirants.

In his letter, Pradhan wrote: “In view of the prevailing heatwave conditions, I request you to kindly issue appropriate instructions to the District Authorities and all schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions hosting the examination in your State/UT to ensure the availability of essential basic amenities for the convenience of candidates.

“These may include safe drinking water, adequate seating arrangements, functional fans/coolers, clean washrooms, shaded waiting areas, uninterrupted electricity supply, and portable toilets, wherever required,” he added.

The Education Minister also called upon all the state governments to ensure adequate transportation facilities for candidates on the day of the examination, June 21.

Notably, a day ago, Dharmendra Pradhan roped in IITs to fix glitches in the CBSE re-evaluation portal. The Education Minister asked experts from IIT-Madras and IIT-Kanpur to stabilise the system and strengthen digital infrastructure so that students and parents don’t face technical glitches during the post-result re-evaluation process.

–IANS

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