The failure of the Central Board of Secondary Education and the baffling stand of the judiciary in enabling a reasonably stress-free environment for students from Tamil Nadu appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2018 will remain an indelible blot in the educational history of India. The hopes and dreams of many an aspirant have been ruined. The way the examination was conducted is a matter of shame.
T.N. Ramanathan,
Chennai
The extensive media coverage of NEET has highlighted the serious blunders the CBSE committed in organising the nation-wide examination. Students from Tamil Nadu in particular were subject to extreme mental and physical stress. An examination such as NEET requires a student to be calm and composed but what he or she went through is anything but that. This is one more instance among numerous others of the common man being made to undergo all types of sufferings on account of the inefficiency or callous attitude of officials in various organisations and who are never held accountable. A re-examination should be thought of.
Rameeza A. Rasheed,
Chennai
The methods adopted by the CBSE while frisking students before the NEET examination needs a thorough overhaul. The Board also owes us an explanation for resorting to such unconventional ways (“Officials play by the book; students and parents cry foul”, May 7). The checks surpassed checking done even at international airports which face high terror alerts. Instead of humiliating students who are already under great stress, the Board should have updated its surveillance technology to prevent any malpractice. It should have doubled its supervisory staff to ensure that no one dared adopt any questionable methods to circumvent the process. Installation of CCTV cameras would have also acted as a deterrent. Instead of unilaterally deciding how the examination process should have been, the Board should have enlisted the services of the local government and the State Board. Even if it was following the rule book, the Board definitely exceeded the brief by cutting sacred religious threads, shirt sleeves, removing ear studs and dupattas. The Board needs to look at the rules again and make the life of students a bit more comfortable.
V. Subramanian,
Chennai
It is clear, after reading the letters (“Letters to the Editor”, May 7), that many are bitter about NEET on the one hand and the way it was conducted this year by the CBSE on the other. Many of the problems students faced would have been averted had they carefully read the dos and don’ts published at the time of inviting applications.
The turmoil at the examination centres was probably on account of the negligence of the candidates and their parents in following instructions that were put out in advance (“Officials play by the book; students and parents cry foul”, May 7). The only point one is in agreement with is about the language option of the examination. Conducting an all-India examination of this magnitude for lakhs of students is no easy task. It involves selecting safe centres, furniture to meet the requirements, selecting trustworthy persons for supervision, renumbering the papers and a host of logistical details. The CBSE must issue a statement on how it allotted centres and how justified some students, parents and sections of the political class are in being upset.
P.K. Shreeramachandran,
Chennai
The reports show that students and their teachers in Tamil Nadu need to step up their preparations for NEET. The statement, in a report, by a student who said, “At the school level, we need to be taught how to internalise concepts better and not just go by what we might need to crack the board exams”, says it all (“Changes to curriculum imperative, State board students feel”, May 7).
S. Sriram,
Chennai
