NEET | A repeated failure
The race for medical seats fed an ecosystem of paper leaks, corruption and reform apathy, ending in NEET's cancellation and leaving 2.3 million students in the lurch. What needs to be done
In Rajasthan’s Sikar town, 22-year-old Pradeep Meghwal had spent three years preparing for NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate) for admissions to medical colleges. He was confident he would make it to a top institute this year. Instead, he died by suicide at his home on May 15, three days after the exam, conducted earlier on May 3, was cancelled following a paper leak. Twenty-one-year-old Ritik Mishra took the same route in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, as the cancelled exam put an end to what was his third attempt too. Twenty-year-old Anshika Pandey, who had missed a seat by four marks last time, could not bear the collapse of her third attempt either and ended her life in Delhi’s Azadpur. In Goa, a 17-year-old boy could not handle the pressure of preparing for competitive exams while holding on to his love for hockey. He, too, chose death over uncertainty.