SHILLONG, MAY 19: Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Tuesday demanded that the Central government bring in stringent legislation to prevent irregularities in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and other national examinations, saying repeated lapses by the National Testing Agency have shaken the confidence of students and parents.
“This is not only in Meghalaya, it is also affecting other states. It is very unfortunate as we never expected this,” Shylla told reporters.
The minister condemned the recent incidents linked to NTA-conducted exams and pressed the Centre for accountability.
“Since this is being done by the National Testing Agency, I really condemn this. I would urge the Central government to act,” he said.
He referred to assurances given by the Union Education Minister.
“A few days ago the Union Education Minister came up with a statement that from now on, strict action will be taken and they will see that these kinds of things do not happen in the future,” Shylla said.
Calling for concrete measures, he added, “The Central government has to come up with something in order to gain the trust of the people of the state because this has been happening even in the past as well. When these kinds of things happen, it really demoralises the students who gave the exam and also the parents.”
“I would like to see that the Central government comes up with strict laws in order to gain the trust of the students and the parents,” he said.
Shylla asked students not to lose hope after the disruptions.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that it is happening. I would urge the students that they should not feel discouraged,” he said. “Swift action has been taken and I think the fresh dates have already been announced.”
He described the retest as a second opportunity.
“I urge them not to be demoralised. This is the second chance you get, work hard and we are together on this,” the minister said. “The Central government should come up with strict laws in order to gain the trust of the students. These kinds of things will always happen in our lives but you should not feel discouraged. You should always be motivated and work hard.”
According to Shylla, a significant number of candidates from Meghalaya were affected. “There are quite a number of them from the state,” he said.
The minister said the new exam date for NEET-UG has been set. “The new date fixed, if I am not mistaken, is on June 21,” he said.
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