NEET re-test: More blunders? Nagpur student gets centre in Abu Dhabi
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Nagpur: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has come under renewed scrutiny ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination after a student from Maharashtra was mistakenly allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi instead of his chosen centres in India.
The issue surfaced when Abdullah Mohammed Talib, a candidate from Nagpur, downloaded his admit card and found that he had been assigned to the Abu Dhabi Indian School for the June 21 examination. According to his family, the student had selected Nagpur, Wardha and Bhandara as his preferred examination centres during the application process.
The error triggered anxiety within the family, which pointed out that the student did not even possess a passport and could not possibly travel abroad with only a day remaining before the examination. The family said the mistake caused considerable mental stress and left the candidate reluctant to appear for the test.
The incident drew criticism from several quarters, including former Maharashtra education minister Dr Anis Ahmed, who questioned the handling of examination arrangements by the agency. Authorities later acknowledged that the problem was caused by a technical fault.
Following intervention by NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, the issue was resolved, and the student was officially allotted a centre in Nagpur.
The controversy comes as the agency prepares to conduct the NEET-UG re-examination ordered after allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in the earlier test prompted intervention by the Supreme Court and the Union government. The latest episode has further raised concerns about NTA’s functioning, with students also reporting server-related issues and difficulties in downloading admit cards in recent days.
Despite the controversy, the agency has announced extensive security measures for the examination, including CCTV surveillance, biometric verification and police deployment at centres. The test is scheduled to be held from 2 pm to 5.15 pm on June 21.