Over 700 more examination centres compared to last year, heightened involvement of district administrations, and security protocols that include a police escort for the transport of question papers — these are among the measures that the Ministry of Education and the National Testing Agency (NTA) have put in place for the upcoming NEET-UG exam.
Preparation for and conduct of the exam are being monitored closely this year, considering that the exam was marred by a paper leak last year, which brought the NTA under fire. After the NEET-UG fiasco, a high-level committee headed by former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan was constituted to suggest measures for the smooth and fair conduct of public examinations.
NEET-UG is scheduled to be held on May 4 in pen-and-paper mode. Over 24 lakh candidates registered for the exam last year.
Sources in the Ministry of Education said that NEET-UG will be held at 5,500 centres this year, up from 4,750 centres last year and 4,097 centres in 2023. District-level coordination committees, headed by the District Magistrate and including a police officer, have been constituted in line with the recommendations of the high-level committee. With the panel stressing the need to establish stronger links between the district administration and the NTA while conducting exams, these district-level committees are now crucial, the source said, adding that testing centres have been identified and vetted by these committees.
While picking testing centres, efforts have been made to ensure that more government-run institutions are used, sources said. The NTA conducts examinations in government-run schools, colleges, and other institutions, as well as in private centres managed by service providers. Additionally, while vetting examination centres, the district-level committees have been tasked with ensuring that they are sufficiently equipped with CCTVs and other necessary infrastructure.
The District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police are now involved in arrangements for the safe transport of question papers to exam centres, and the return of OMR sheets to the district coordinator or nodal officer so they can be sent back to the NTA, an official said.
The district administration is also involved in verifying that the exam centres have rooms on the ground floor, functional CCTV cameras, and proper security for the premises.
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Last year, a third-party review of NEET-UG exam centres found gaps, including the absence of working CCTVs at a few centres.
The Secretary of the Department of Higher Education has held a range of meetings with District Magistrates and police to “ensure their cooperation,” a source said. This includes ensuring a police escort for the transport of question papers, security at the testing centres, and authentication of candidates, the source added. District Magistrates and police officers are also visiting centres ahead of the exam to ensure they are prepared. While frisking with hand-held metal detectors was earlier mandatory at examination centres, this time the security protocol includes “multi-layered” frisking by the district police and security personnel designated by the NTA.
