The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) addressed a letter to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemical Fertilizers, Jagat Prakash Nadda seeking an urgent re-evaluation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) exam centre allocation.
In the letter, dated August 2, Friday, the association draws focus on the anomalies of the centre allocation. The exam, which is scheduled to take place on August 11, 2024, was originally set to take place on June 23, but was postponed due to alleged breaches in security in the NEET-UG exam. The candidates were requested to fill in their preferences for their test cities again during an online window opening from July 19 to July 22.
After the release of the list of city centres on July 31, many candidates have flagged that the centres are far away from their residences and native places. Not only this, many were allotted centres different from their four preferred choices during the process, the letter stated.
The letter also mentioned a few of the key concerns of the aspirants such as:
1) Geographically distant centres may now increase travel and accommodation costs due to last-minute hotel and transport bookings.
2) Unstable and harsh weather conditions in the monsoon have made it extremely difficult for students to book themselves a safer mode of transportation. Not only this, the uncertainty adds to increased stress.
3) There has been a lack of transparency with the exam results, normalisation of scores, exact dates for results, and counselling schedules, leading to candidates incurring unnecessary pressure.
4) There are geographical and administrative anomalies as instances have been reported where students are allocated centres in regions which are not geographically aligned with their state of residence leading to complications in travel.
Hence, the association requests the following actions to be taken immediately
1) A re-evaluation of the exam centres to save them from enduring the excess financial strain.
2) Clear communication about the dates and processes of the examination.
3) Adressal of the inconsistencies of the exam centre allocations so that students are not unduly burdened by travel.
The association, via the letter, implored the union minister to look into the irregularities and give the process proper consideration.
