Once again a big controversy has come to light regarding the country’s biggest medical entrance exam NEET. After the cancellation of the exam and allegations of paper leak, the demand to conduct NEET in online or hybrid mode has intensified. Students, parents and education experts believe that technological changes have now become extremely necessary to prevent the irregularities that are continuously emerging in the traditional offline examination system.
In the last few years, many cases of paper leaks and rigging have come to light in competitive examinations. There were protests across the country regarding the NEET exam, after which serious questions were raised on the transparency and security of the examination process. Meanwhile, the expert committee constituted by the Central Government and the Education Department has recommended major changes in the examination system.
The expert committee believes that by conducting a big examination like NEET in completely digital or hybrid mode, incidents of paper leaks can be prevented to a great extent. The committee has suggested that a secure computer-based testing system should be implemented at the examination centres, so that the confidentiality of the question papers is maintained and human interference is reduced.
According to reports, the expert panel has also emphasized on the use of Artificial Intelligence and advanced surveillance technologies in the examination process. It is suggested to include technologies like face recognition, live monitoring, biometric verification and encrypted question paper distribution. This can help in curbing fake candidates and organized copying gangs.
The committee has also said that adopting hybrid model can provide convenience to the students. In this model some parts can be conducted online and some offline. This will reduce crowding at examination centers and security arrangements can be implemented in a better way.
