Bhubaneswar: The Odisha unit of All India Students’ Federation (AISF) Saturday intensified its protest against the alleged irregularities and paper leak in the NEET examination, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on moral grounds.
As part of the agitation, AISF activists burnt an effigy of the minister and staged demonstrations condemning what they described as widespread corruption and mismanagement in the national-level medical entrance examination system.
Protesters also symbolically displayed admit cards to highlight the alleged ‘commercialisation’ of competitive examinations.
Raising serious concerns over repeated examination controversies, the student organisation demanded the abolition of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the NEET system, alleging that recurring paper leaks have eroded the credibility of the examination process and shattered students’ confidence.
AISF claimed that more than 22 lakh aspirants across the country have suffered severe mental, physical and financial stress due to repeated irregularities in entrance examinations.
The organisation alleged that instead of strengthening public education, governments are encouraging an expensive coaching culture, making higher education increasingly inaccessible for poor, Dalit, tribal and backwards-class students.
The organisation further alleged that over 140 questions from the current year’s NEET examination had circulated publicly through mobile phones before the test.
Criticising the response of the NTA Chairman, AISF said attempts to describe the incident merely as a ‘few questions leaked’ instead of a full-scale paper leak had deeply disappointed students and aspirants.
Referring to the 2024 NEET controversy, AISF leaders alleged that only cosmetic changes were made in the examination administration while systemic flaws continue to persist.
The student body also demanded that the state government provide free transportation facilities and a minimum financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to NEET aspirants, similar to the support extended in some other states.
AISF state president Sanghamitra Jena said the education minister must take responsibility and resign in the interest of students.
State secretary Kartik Charan Parida warned that the organisation would intensify its agitation if the minister fails to step down.
