Are New Codes for NEET Aspirants Justified in Light of Hardship Endured by Them?

Introduction

After a protracted battle between states and center in the apex court, the stage is set for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical and paramedical courses in the country. The honorable Supreme Court made it mandatory a pass in the NEET exam a mandatory condition to get admissions in medical and paramedical courses in the country. In order to offset the chances of cheating in mass-scale, the exam conducting authority Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) made sweeping changes in the schedules for the code of contact for the aspirants. The centers were given strict instructions to adhere to the code to avoid the controversies. In the light of the severe criticism from various quarters, let us see what these codes meant in the first place and how the authorities should execute them with discretion.

NEET Codes of Contact Surprised the Aspirants

As per the new codes of contact issued by CBSE for conducting NEET exam, the candidates had to remove earrings, abandon closed shoes, cut shirt sleeves, and avoid taking a calculator, unwanted papers before entering the examination hall. Apart from the restrictions listed above, the aspirants were not allowed to wear full sleeve shirts, and not allowed to take pencils, pens, closed or high-heeled shoes, metal buttons and big brooches inside the examination hall. Though CBSE gave instructions on the codes of contact, many of them were not clearer enough. As a result, the aspirants had to run between pillar and post in the 24th hour, risking their chances for appearing in the exam. Keeping in mind the confusion, some authorities at the test centers kept a stock of two dozen T-shirts ready for the use by those students who came with full-sleeve shirts on.

Candidate Hardships

Many candidates around the country were not prepared to meet the NEET codes of contact at the examination centers despite their listings in the leaflet accompanying the hall ticket.

1. A girl student at Army Public School in Bengaluru faced an unexpected crisis when she was unable to remove earrings in a hurry.





2. In another incident, a girl in Kannur district of Kerala was asked to remove her underwear before entering the examination hall.


3. Students wearing closed shoes were asked to remove them and asked to walk into the examination hall barefooted.


4. Girls with the long flock of hair nicely combed and set were asked to untie their hair before their entry into the venue.





5. Authorities in some exam centers asked even asked the girls to remove the nose stud before entering the exam center.





6. The candidates who came wearing the black dress were in for a shock. They were asked to remove them and change into new clothes with lighter colors.





7. Students coming with full sleeves were asked to make it half-sleeves before entering the hall by the authorities.

Response from Parents

Though many parents acknowledged the good intentions of the CBSE in removing the menace of mass copying, they were against the way these codes were executed across the country. They were of the view that the codes should have been enforced depending upon on the context and sensibility of the situation. They also added that blind enforcement of codes would deter the aspirants from undertaking similar examinations in the future if the authorities were not forthcoming in understanding the feeling of the student community. In certain cases, the children were made to do what that was not listed in the list of not-dos.