NEET’s promise has failed; it’s time to trust States
The author argues that the NEET medical entrance exam has failed to deliver on its promises of meritocracy and fairness, instead fostering a commercialized coaching culture. The piece advocates for returning control of medical admissions to individual states to better reflect diverse academic achievements.
Why it matters
The debate over centralized versus state-level medical admissions touches on fundamental questions of educational equity and federalism in India.
T he unprecedented protests by students across the country following the NEET question paper leak are not merely about one compromised examination. They reflect a deeper crisis of confidence in a system that was projected as the ultimate guardian of merit. When lakhs of students lose faith in the fairness of the process that determines their future, the nation’s conscience is shaken.
Tamil Nadu was the first State to raise the red flag against NEET — not because of irregularities in its conduct, but because of the very philosophy behind a single, high-stakes national examination deciding the future of every aspiring medical student. The problem was structural, not procedural. Recent events have vindicated that concern.
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