Kerala Assembly Demands Overhaul of National Entrance Exams, Flags NEET Credibility Crisis

The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the Central government to undertake comprehensive reforms of the national entrance examination system, citing serious concerns over the credibility, transparency, and fairness of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and other national-level exams.

The resolution, moved by Higher Education Minister Roji M. John, noted that credibility of NEET, the primary entrance exam for medical education in India, has been undermined by reported incidents including question paper leaks, irregularities in exam conduct, administrative and technical lapses at centres, and deficiencies in evaluation and result declaration.

The Assembly criticised the Centre and central agencies for failing to acknowledge the gravity of these issues and for not adopting timely corrective measures, despite exposure of serious lapses and irregularities. It stated that opportunities earned through years of hard work by candidates across the country, including many from Kerala, have been adversely affected by such irregularities and administrative failures, violating constitutional principles of equal opportunity and social justice.

The resolution further observed that controversies surrounding NEET were not isolated, with similar problems emerging in other national-level entrance exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), such as the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) and the UGC-CSIR examinations. Additionally, recruitment exams by agencies like the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) have also witnessed leaks, irregularities, postponements, cancellations, technical failures, and security lapses.

The recent irregularities in CBSE Class 12 examinations indicated serious structural and administrative deficiencies, the resolution said.

The Assembly called for identifying officials, institutions, and organised examination malpractice networks responsible for such irregularities, and for initiating exemplary criminal proceedings. It also demanded clear accountability for officials involved in administrative lapses.

Noting that education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the resolution urged strengthening mechanisms to ensure state governments' views are considered when making policy decisions on national entrance examinations.