NEET Leak Fallout: Latur Students Persevere Amidst Crisis, Coaching Centres Lose Trust

Latur, Maharashtra – Even as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probes the leak of NEET-UG question papers, students and their families continue to hold onto their dreams of a medical career. Ramkisan Garad, a 79-year-old farmer from Beed district, travelled to Latur with his grandson Shubham, 16, to enroll him in Stark Classes. 'We have faced repeated farming losses due to uncertain rainfall. We dream that Shubham will study and build a better life,' said Garad, reflecting the aspirations of thousands who flock to this tier-2 city for affordable coaching.

Stark Classes is among many institutes in Latur where fees range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 per year—roughly one-fifth of what corporate coaching centres charge. Every year, tens of thousands of students from rural Maharashtra come here to prepare for NEET-UG and engineering entrance exams. Among them is Saurabh Chate from Jalna, who will appear for the NEET re-test on Sunday. He chose to continue at Renukai Career Centre (RCC), despite its founder Shivraj Motegaonkar being named by the CBI as an alleged key figure in the leak. 'I decided to continue because the teachers supported me throughout, including the additional year of preparation,' Chate said.

The cancellation of the May 3 exam and the announcement of a re-test caused stress for many students. Shravani Kadam, a student at Vidya Aaradhna Academy, initially felt anxious but quickly refocused. 'My elder sister, now studying medicine, took a gap year to secure admission. She made me realize that my two-month revision is nothing compared to repeating an entire year. Since then, I've focused only on revising for the retest,' she said.

However, the coaching industry in Latur is feeling the impact. Admissions have dropped by 30–40 per cent in June compared to previous years. Hanumant Mundhe of IIB Shree Tutorial noted, 'Growing concerns over intense competition and declining trust in the examination system had already reduced enrolments by 20 per cent over the past 3–4 years. This month alone, it has dropped by over 30 per cent.' The lane housing most coaching institutes, known as 'Udyog Bhavan,' is quieter than usual. Ashok Waghmare, who runs a stationery shop there, said, 'The crowd of students is far less this June.'

Satish Pawar from Vidya Aradhna Coaching Class emphasized the importance of trust. 'Parents send their children to us because they trust us to build a better future. This scandal has uncovered the involvement of paper-setters and allegedly a coaching class in the leak. Rebuilding trust will take time and good results,' he said. Coaching centres have intensified efforts to help students clear NEET and JEE to regain lost enrolments.