NEET: Less frisking, but strict vigil at some centres

Chennai: 

The second edition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) held for undergraduates saw 1.07 lakh students from the state appearing for the examination across 170 centres in Tamil Nadu on Sunday

With 1,07,288 students having applied for the exam from the state, barely five per cent gave it a miss. 

Compared to the situation last year, students and parents said staff at the examination centres were not as strict this year on frisking the students and stopping them from entering the centres. 

However, some centres such as the one at Gopalapuram, and another in K K Nagar in the city, were quite strict. 

“My daughter and many other girls were asked to remove their shawls before entering the exam hall. They were evidently uncomfortable. It was not fair that they were made to undergo the experience,” said Ramalakshmi K, a parent from Thoothukudi. 

Other girl students were made to remove their earrings and nose rings before entering the exam halls. 

“While the students were being sent in two batches into the centre, those with shawls and jewellery were made to wait until they removed all the items that were not allowed,” said Madhavi P, a parent. 

While the three-hour exam began at 10 am, students reached their centres as early as 6 am to ensure they weren’t delayed. Candidates were required to produce their admit card and passport-size photographs during the examination. As many as 24,720 aspirants had opted to take the exam in Tamil. 

The examination consisted of one paper in all languages with 180 objective-type questions (four options with a single correct answer) from Physics, Chemistry and Biology (Botany and Zoology). 

The examination was held amid a massive controversy since most Tamil Nadu students were allotted centres in other states. 

More than 2,000 candidates from the state had to travel to other states, including Kerala and Karnataka, and some even to Rajasthan for the examination. 

A Kerala-based student, who was allotted the Gopalapuram centre, was prevented from entering the hall as she was delayed in arriving at the venue. 

Apart from this isolated incident, all students were allowed to appear for the exam, sources said.

Parents angry over lack of facilities 

While the government had made all preparations to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday, lack of basic facilities for parents waiting for their wards outside the venues drew flak from many.

Not only did the parents have to sit on dirty footpaths for around six hours, but they also complained of no arrangements made for them to get drinking water or toilet facilities. 

Though some parents arrived with their wards before 7 am, the lack of facilities made waiting very unpleasant. “We didn’t even have a decent place to sit. When a minister or the Governor is expected to visit a locality, the Corporation takes all efforts to clean the roads and the sidewalks. The state has been aware that NEET will be held on May 6. Why couldn’t basic arrangements be made for parents,” said a cousin of one of the candidates who wrote her exam at the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in KK Nagar. 

Stating that it was highly demeaning that they were shown no respect at all, Jay Murthy, another parent from Villupuram, said, “It is the CBSE that is organising this exam. How difficult would it be to make some extra arrangements? So many women have brought their children. There is no toilet facility for them.” 

The lack of drinking water was another downer. “How many bottles of water can we keep buying. We came from different parts of the state,” said S `Abraham, who brought his sister from Vellore to a centre at Ashok Nagar.