Regarding the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate (UG) 2020 examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has told the Supreme Court that conducting the exam overseas is not possible. Their affidavit filed on 11 August, stated that the exam needs to be conducted in a single shift at the same time on the same day to maintain uniformity. Further, the mode of the exam is a paper book format. Hence for the aforementioned reasons, overseas centres will not be feasible.
“Further, the question papers and other exam materials are to be transported from NTA headquarters to a large number of examination centres in various cities, which would require meticulous planning for safe and secure delivery of the same at the examination centres on time”, the affidavit stated.
The statement of the NTA comes after due consultation with the Medical Council of India (MCI). The MCI also clarified from its end that as the exam is conducted through Multiple Choice Questions in paper book format given to all candidates and, uniformity has to be maintained for all, therefore, NEET (UG) cannot be conducted in online mode for candidates abroad.
The affidavit also explained that while for JEE (Main) the question papers can be delivered to the examination centres half an hour before the examination in password-protected online mode, the same cannot be expected for NEET (UG).
Scheduled on 13 September 2020, the affidavit of the NTA was filed on a plea seeking directions to hold NEET centres in Gulf countries.
The plea, which was first dismissed by the Kerala High Court on June 30, was filed by parents of nearly 4,000 NEET (undergraduate) candidates. The plea wished for a postponement of the exam until the COVID-19 pandemic normalizes.
The parents of these candidates appealed against the High Court order in the Supreme court. The general secretary of Kerala Muslim Culture Centre in Qatar, Abdul Azeez said that the NTA had the capability and willingness to open exam centres in Gulf countries as they had been doing so for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (Main).
The petition contended that the NTA has said it would open examination centres abroad only if the MCI approved the proposal.
The MCI, in its communication dated May 21, said that the online test for NEET is not possible, the plea in apex court stated.
“During these exceptional circumstances, the MCI and the Union government need to be flexible so as to facilitate these students to sit for NEET”, the plea said.
It said most students had registered with Indian embassies in Qatar, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia to travel to India on Vande Bharat mission flights and appear in the examination for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in medical colleges, but they could not get seats on the flights as priority was given to other categories of passengers stuck abroad.
