The cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination has sent shock waves across the country and caused immense distress to about 23 lakh students and their parents. Their future depended on the outcome of this critical test, which enables admission to undergraduate medical education (MBBS and other allied courses). Clearly, the National Testing Agency, which conducts the examination, has botched it up. Yet again, if one were to look into the past. Given the high stakes and the tremendous demand for coveted and subsidised government seats, preventing leakage of question papers before the examination has been a daunting challenge, and the agency, more often than not, has been found wanting.
The BJP-led NDA government has handed the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation and stated it would conduct the examination afresh soon. An industry body is knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court. Though the BJP has cracked the code of winning almost every election with a degree of certainty, somehow its government has time and again found itself out of its depth when it comes to governance, be it NEET, creating jobs, Manipur violence, or pandemic crisis management, to name a few. Interestingly, the party has set in motion its narrative control operation as mainstream media is now pinning the blame on a faceless “system” instead of the elected government. As voters continue to reward it with successive electoral victories, it literally has no fear of consequences for poor performance.
Despite the government’s claims regarding the merits of NEET and other centralised all-India educational admission examinations, the flawed system often rears its ugly head, so to speak. The main advantage of students not having to apply for multiple examinations is often outweighed by the inbuilt bungling that robs it of its very integrity and efficacy. Moreover, there is a broader criticism relating to the questionable merit of centralisation of examinations in a diverse country like India, besides undermining the basic tenets of federalism.
Thousands of people are involved in conducting the pen-and-paper examination in over 5,000 venues. The logistics are mind-boggling, and making it secure and leak-proof is going to be a herculean task; it would be a miracle if the government succeeds in any particular year. The reason for the high stakes, unlike most other courses, is the over Rs 1 crore difference in fees between government-subsidised education and a private college seat. The temptation to game the system, therefore, will be strongest and, consequently, it attracts unscrupulous and criminal elements out to make a quick buck. The entire so-called coaching industry is known to be indulging in unethical and illegal practices to ensure their students clear the examination, which in turn brings them more students year after year. Either way, the rich have an unfair edge over meritorious students from disadvantaged sections. The opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu needs to be revisited.
The failure to conduct the examination properly is symptomatic of other deeper structural maladies relating to corruption and related white-collar crimes. The governance fiascos relating to NEET, and the more recent fuel crisis and the call for austerity, are knocking the bottom out of the haughty, supercilious and self-serving claims of the government that it has effectively tackled corruption and crime and been providing efficient and citizen-centric governance.