Chennai: Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday cast aspersions on the credibility of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results this year.
In a press meet, after inaugurating a yoga and naturopathy treatment centre in Guindy, the minister wondered how the numbers of toppers in NEET who scored 720 out of 720 drastically increased this year, compared to previous years.
He added that in 2020 only one candidate achieved full marks. The number increased slightly to two in 2021, and three in 2022. “However, this year, a staggering 67 candidates scored 720 out of 720, raising doubts and suspicions about the examination process among educationalists across the country,” he said.
The minister questioned the plausibility of such a drastic increase in full marks this year. “How can so many students get full marks?” he asked, highlighting that in a centre in Faridabad, seven students with consecutive serial numbers got full marks.
He noted that even if a single question was left unanswered or was wrong, the highest possible score would be 716 or 715. Yet, many candidates reportedly scored between 718 and 719.
The minister pointed out that there were claims of grace marks being awarded without proper authorisation.
“The NTA, which conducts the exams, have said they will find out if there are any wrong doings. But the question is, who is the wrong doer?,” asked Subramanian.
He said that students across India who took NEET were unaware of any grace marks being awarded. “This lack of transparency and anomalies in the results call for a thorough investigation into the NEET examination process,” he added.
He said chief minister M K Stalin has long opposed the necessity of NEET, arguing against it since 2016. The government had submitted the AK Rajan report to the state assembly, which was then sent to the governor. After delays, it reached the President, who forwarded it to the home ministry and subsequently to the health and education ministries.
