NEET-UG row: AJP demands Pradhan’s resignation, PM to break silence

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 22, 2024

Assam’s regional political party – Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid continuing protests against the discrepancies in the NEET and furore over UGC-NET exam cancellation.

The regional party also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over the issue.

The controversy over alleged malpractices in the NEET exam intensified on Thursday as several student groups protested. Opponents criticised the Centre, even though the government maintained that “isolated” incidents should not affect the many students who legitimately passed the exam.

The cancellation of UGC-NET, amidst the ongoing NEET controversy, has raised questions about the NTA’s ability to conduct large-scale exams.

“Union education minister who has failed to accept moral responsibility should resign. The Prime Minister who is talking about ‘ Pariksha pe Charcha’ should break his silence and show the courage to take strong action against this crisis of students,” AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary (in-charge) Raju Phukan said in a statement here on Saturday.

“The cancelled NET examination should be conducted again in a transparent manner immediately and SLET should be conducted at regular intervals,” the AJP leaders said.

The party also demanded to ban systems like the Samarth portal and introduce previous admissions, and recruitment/promotion of teachers through governing bodies and universities at the college level in Assam.

“We are clear — the AJP will not accept any decision that violates the rights of the students and tarnishes their future. We will stand by the students until they are served justice,” it said.

The All India UGC-NET examination was unexpectedly cancelled amid widespread controversy over irregularities and corruption in the NEET examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

“The NET examination was cancelled on June 19 via a notification a day after conducting the exam on June 18, which is an indication of an irresponsible and careless attitude of the Ministry of Education and the government as a whole, Gogoi and Phukan said.

“Simultaneously, the admission of students in colleges through the SAMARTH portal has caused widespread confusion among students and parents, who are now disoriented,” they said.

“In All India NEET,  a meritorious student sits in the examination after a lot of effort and hard work. Along with the students, their parents prepare their children for the examinations with sacrifice and hard work for a stable future,” they also said.

“However, when instances of examination irregularities are reported, meritorious students and their parents are frustrated and the credibility of the education system is questioned,” they further said.

“Meritorious students who wish to do teaching or research after a graduate degree are required to qualify NET  as per the guidelines of UGC. This is the standard and required qualification On the other hand, in a state like Assam, many ‘tutor professors’ working in a strange feudal system like ‘tutor professors’ have to pass the NET examination within the first 5 years of appointment. In this regard, the NET examination is very important for a PG student,” the AJP said.

“It is easy to imagine the side effects of this incident in the minds of the students when the examination is suddenly cancelled within 24 hours of the examination after making all the necessary preparations,” the party further said.

“The higher education department of the Assam government has launched the SAMARTH e-portal for students wishing to enrol in undergraduate colleges in the state since last year. As a result, students are facing considerable admission-related uncertainties. Therefore, the entire process of filling up of application forms, examination and even preparation of merit list in the colleges is under the direct control of the higher education department through complete centralization of the admission of students,” the leaders added.

It alleged that colleges have to stop preparing their own merit lists and informing students through their own websites or other media as before. It is possible to publish the merit list only on the date of admission process specified by the Department of Higher Education (June 20 for this year).

“Instead of the public notification of college-based merit lists, it is advocated to send messages to specific students via mobile phones. Many students find out that their names is listed only on the specified day, i.e, the day of the admission process,” it also said.

“Many eligible students have been deprived of receiving such messages due to mobile network problems or have been deprived of the admission process due to not receiving such messages on time,” the party also said.

“This means that the process is being conducted through mobile messaging only In such a context, the students and parents of the state are facing extreme uncertainty and frustration,” the AJP said.

“Our clear view on this whole NEET -NET-enabled process —- the state government itself has created this mess by implementing the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 to just nest without the necessary infrastructure,” it further said.

“After these incidents, the government’s conspiracy to hand over the entire education system to the private sector by creating apathy towards the public education system has become even clear. This tendency to impose another education system with a centralized electronic system that relies heavily on bureaucracy for the management of the education system has certainly sent a bad impression on the educational life of our younger generation,” it added.