NEW DELHI, Jul 22 : Amid a huge row over the NEET-UG paper leak case, the opposition Monday castigated the government with Rahul Gandhi claiming students are convinced the country’s entire exam system is a “fraud”, even as Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the Congress leader and his “cabal” of shedding crocodile tears.
Gandhi led the opposition charge in Lok Sabha on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, saying there is a very serious problem in the country’s exam system and Pradhan has not taken responsibility. “The minister has blamed everybody except himself.”
Under fire, Pradhan said there has been no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years. He tried to corner the Congress and the Samajwadi Party saying, the ground reality on paper leaks during the UPA regime and when Akhilesh Yadav was at the helm in Uttar Pradesh will open a can of worms for both of them.
The issue of alleged irregularities in the conduct of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test 2024 for admission in undergraduate medical courses has also reached the Supreme Court.
Hearing a clutch of petitions on Monday, the SC asked the IIT-Delhi Director to set up a team of three experts that would go into a particular question asked in the examination and submit a report on the correct answer by Tuesday noon when the hearing resumes.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said it is obvious to the whole country there is a very serious problem in the examination system, not just in NEET but in all major examinations.
“The minister has blamed everybody except himself. I don’t even think he understands the fundamentals of what is going on here… The issue is there are millions of students in this country who are extremely concerned about what is going on and who are convinced that the Indian examination system is a fraud,” he said.
“If you are rich and have money, you can buy the Indian examination system,” Gandhi alleged.
“As this is a systemic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix this issue at the systemic level?” he asked Pradhan, who was responding to queries during Question Hour.
A visibly peeved Pradhan said it was unfortunate that the member described the examination system as rubbish.
In response to Congress member Manickam Tagore claiming there have been 70 paper leaks in the past seven years, Pradhan said, “There is no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years in any numbers.”
Since setting up the NTA, more than 240 examinations have been conducted, more than five crore students applied and more than 4.5 crore candidates participated, the minister said.
Tagore wanted to know about the steps taken to address the issue of exam paper leaks and wondered whether the minister will resign.
In response, Pradhan said, “I am here at the mercy of my leader, the prime minister, and whenever accountability comes, my government is collectively answerable to that”.
Regarding alleged anomalies and malpractices, Pradhan asserted, “We are hiding nothing… Everything is on record.”
The CBI is probing alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024 and has lodged six FIRs. The NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions.
As the opposition sought to corner the government on the issue of paper leaks, Speaker Om Birla said it is not right to raise questions about all exams and members should discuss the need of developing a better examination system.
The Speaker stressed that there should be constructive discussions on the issue. If questions are raised about all examinations in the country, it will have an impact on the Indian education system and perception about it around the world, he noted.
The CBI is probing the issue of exam paper leaks and the Supreme Court is also looking into the matter. “We should look at developing a better system… It is not right to raise questions about all examinations,” Birla said.
Congress Deputy Leader in the House Gaurav Gogoi shouted slogans demanding the resignation of Pradhan.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also raised questions about the exam paper leaks.
“This government will make a record of paper leaks. The NTA should publish list of centres where high number of students have performed well…How is this possible that students from particular centres have done far better than others,” Yadav questioned.
Hitting back, Pradhan questioned why the Congress-led government “failed” to pass bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions including the Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010, when it was in power.
“The LoP and his cabal are all but shedding crocodile tears. The ground reality on paper leaks during UPA regime and when Shri Akhilesh was at the helm of UP, will open a can of worms for both Shri @RahulGandhi and Shri @yadavakhilesh,” Pradhan wrote on X.
“Maybe Rahul Gandhi understands the fundamentals and maths of unfair practices too well. That explains why Congress govt. Failed to implement the bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions, including Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010.
“Can the LoP tell under what compulsions, pressure and for what considerations did the Congress Party refuse to bring laws to curb irregularities?” he added.
More than 23.33 lakh students had taken the NEET-UG test on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas. (PTI)
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