‘Education system ruined’ by NEET-PG postponement: Rahul Gandhi

"NEET PG postponed again! Another unfortunate example of the ruined education system under Narendra Modi's rule.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the postponement of the NEET-PG examination and said that this is “another unfortunate example that the education system has been ruined”.

“Now NEET PG is also postponed! This is another unfortunate example of the ruined education system under the rule of Narendra Modi”.

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The Congress leader further said that under the BJP’s rule, instead of building their careers by studying, students are forced to fight the government to save their future.

“Now it is clear – Modi, who used to silently watch the spectacle every time, is completely helpless in front of the paper leak racket and education mafia. Narendra Modi‘s incompetent government is the biggest threat to the future of students – we must save the future of the country from it,” he added.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) Examination on Saturday, which was scheduled to be held on Sunday and said that a fresh date will be announced at the earliest.

The NEET-PG exams were scheduled to be held on June 23.

“Taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of the processes of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination for medical students,” the ministry statement read.

“It has accordingly been decided, as a precautionary measure, to postpone the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, scheduled to be held on 23rd June 2024. The fresh date of this examination will be notified at the earliest,” the ministry added.

“The Ministry of Health sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to the students. This decision has been taken in the best interests of the students and to maintain the sanctity of the examination process,” the health ministry said.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA.

An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns.

The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvements in data security protocols and the functioning of the NTA.

The 7-member committee, led by ISRO former chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan, will submit its report to the ministry in the next two months.