By Khan Tahir
Question papers kept leaking… faces kept changing… but the question remained the same: who is actually responsible?
In India, entrance examinations are not merely examinations. They are the hopes of poor households, the prayers of mothers, the hard-earned wages of fathers, the sacrifices of sisters, and the sleepless nights of millions of young people. Especially exams like NEET, JEE, CUET, and UGC-NET decide the future of crores of students. There was a time when people said, “Work hard, and success will follow.” But today, even the hardworking student is afraid, and even the successful one feels insecure.
In 2017, the Government of India established the National Testing Agency (NTA) with grand promises. It was said that the examination system would become transparent, cheating mafias would be eliminated, question papers would remain secure, and merit would finally get justice. The government projected the NTA as an institution that would modernise India’s examination system through technology, computerisation, and strict monitoring, bringing it closer to the standards of developed countries.
But today, one question stands tall: if the NTA was such a strong institution, why does it repeatedly find itself at the centre of controversies every few years?
Is it merely a coincidence – or a serious structural failure – that UGC-NET 2024, NEET 2024, and now NEET 2026 controversies all emerged in examinations conducted through the paper-based system? These incidents once again raise the question: how secure is the paper-based system really? When question papers are printed beforehand, transported across multiple locations, stored in strong rooms, and pass through numerous hands, the risk of leaks naturally increases. The shocking part is that after every scandal, the system itself is rarely questioned; instead, restrictions on students become stricter. As if the problem is not the paper leak, but students’ transparent water bottles, dress codes, and physical checks. The reality is that the same paper-based examinations continue to become controversial repeatedly, and that raises serious questions about the entire examination structure.
The system changed… but why did the outcome not change?
During the early years of the NTA, Vineet Joshi remained one of its key heads. Under his tenure, emphasis was placed on computerised examinations, centralised systems, and technological reforms. The government often described that phase as a period of “stability” for the NTA. He remained associated with the institution for a long time, and comparatively fewer national-level controversies emerged during that period.
But over time, cracks within the examination system began to surface. Organised cheating networks, fake candidates, misuse of internal information, software-based manipulation, and the growing influence of coaching mafias started coming into light.
Then came 2024. And it was the year that caused the greatest damage to the credibility of the NTA.
One leaked paper… and millions of dreams were dragged into the courtroom.
The NEET-UG 2024 Controversy
The NEET-UG 2024 controversy created chaos across the country. Students raised several questions:
- How did so many toppers emerge from the same examination centre?
- Why were grace marks awarded?
- How did questions circulate on Telegram and social media before the examination?
- If the system was secure, where exactly did the leak happen?
The matter no longer remained about one examination; it became a question about the credibility of the entire system. Protests erupted, courts were approached, students came onto the streets, parents expressed anger, and eventually the matter reached the Supreme Court of India.
At that time, Subodh Kumar Singh was heading the NTA. Public pressure mounted, the media raised tough questions, and eventually the government removed him. But this raises important questions:
If only one person was responsible, then why did the system collapse again?
And if the entire structure was weak, why was removing a single officer considered sufficient?
The face changed… but did the system change?
Then Pradeep Singh Kharola was given responsibility. It was claimed that reforms would now take place, monitoring would become stricter, papers would remain secure, and such situations would never arise again.
Interestingly, from 2024 to 2026, no major national-level scandal visibly emerged. Yet in March 2026, Pradeep Singh Kharola was suddenly removed and Abhishek Singh was appointed as the new DG.
That change itself left behind many questions.
If no major controversy had emerged for two years, why was the chief changed so suddenly?
Had the government already sensed internal weaknesses?
Or was changing faces simply a way to calm public anger?
Why Did the Same Crisis Return in 2026?
Now in 2026, the same headlines are returning around NEET-UG: paper leak, circulation of questions, cancellation of examination, and renewed uncertainty. All of this proves one thing clearly: the problem is not merely individuals; it is the entire structure.
If serious reforms had truly been implemented after 2024, then why did the same crisis return in 2026?
Will replacing officers every time be enough to satisfy the public?
Will the next paper leak not happen?
That is the most dangerous question.
And perhaps nobody can answer it with certainty.
Because until the paper-printing process becomes secure, internal collusion ends, coaching mafias are dismantled, and real accountability is established, no government or institution can guarantee that the next paper leak will not happen.
The real issue is not only technology; it is also intent and accountability. A paper does not leak alone…. an entire society leaks with it.
When reports emerged about the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, it was not just a question paper that came out; it exposed the weaknesses of India’s entire examination system.
Who will Pay the Price of This Damage?
The biggest question is: who will pay the price of this damage?
A student who spends two, three, sometimes even five years preparing only for NEET – who will account for the lost years of that life?
Someone spent two lakh rupees on coaching. Someone paid hostel fees. Someone moved to another city and rented a room. Someone spent lakhs on books, test series, food, and travel. Now if the examination gets cancelled, what happens?
Should that student take coaching again? Pay hostel rent again? Move cities again? Buy books again? Endure mental pressure again? And the biggest question: why should they pay this extra price at all? A poor father already drowning in debt – should he take another loan? A mother who already sold her jewellery – should she sell something again? A sister who already sacrificed her own wishes – should she sacrifice even more? This is not merely an examination crisis; it is also economic injustice.
Who Carries Permanent Responsibility?
When repeated paper leaks, exam cancellations, and transparency crises emerged during Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure as Education Minister, does the public not have the right to ask: Who carries permanent responsibility?
The most painful reality is that after every controversy, the burden of patience, sacrifice, and resilience is placed only on students. Students must prepare again, pay fees again, endure stress again, take coaching again, bear hostel expenses again – but the system itself is never asked who will pay the price of its failures.
Students are given endless instructions before examinations: what clothes to wear, whether slippers or shoes are allowed, whether sleeves should be short or full, nothing should be worn in the ears, only transparent bottles are permitted, pockets must remain empty, even girls’ hair clips are checked, and students go through multiple rounds of physical inspection.
It often feels as if the entire system is built on the assumption that students themselves are suspicious. But the biggest question remains: despite all these checks, restrictions, monitoring, and strictness – where does the cheating actually happen?
The reality is that most manipulation appears to emerge not from students, but from administrative weaknesses, internal collusion, paper leak mafias, and systemic failures.
Students’ pockets are checked – but the holes within the system aren’t. Students are ordered to bring transparent bottles – but the examination system itself does not appear transparent.
Students’ nails are inspected – but the accountability of those sitting within institutions is never inspected. So the question is: laws, CCTV surveillance, biometric verification, and strict monitoring exist to prevent cheating by students – but what exists to prevent cheating within the administration itself? How many strict laws were made against paper leak mafias? How many officials received permanent punishment for internal collusion? How many powerful individuals were truly held accountable? Would it not be better, instead of repeatedly cancelling examinations, to cancel Dharmendra Pradhan just once?
How long will students continue hearing the same statement after every controversy:
The guilty will not be spared… only to witness the same crisis return months later? The price of a paper leak was not paid only by students… the entire country paid it. Conducting examinations like NEET-UG costs hundreds of crores of rupees. If an examination gets cancelled, who is responsible for that expense? Two hundred crores? Four hundred crores? Five hundred crores? Whatever amount was spent – it was public tax money.
Question papers were printed, centres prepared, monitoring systems activated, staff deployed, security arranged, transportation managed, and the entire machinery put into motion.
Then if the paper leaked:
- Will this money be deducted from an officer’s salary?
- Will any institution face financial penalties?
- Did any minister take responsibility?
No. The loss is always of public. And accountability is always absent. The NTA was unwilling to admit it… the public forced it to.
Perhaps the most important point is this: when the NEET-UG paper leaked, public pressure built rapidly. Social media continuously raised the issue, students protested, media channels covered it for days, and only then did the NTA begin treating the matter seriously. This raises a very dangerous question: If the public had remained silent, would the NTA have admitted that something had gone wrong?
Many of the NTA’s statements and tweets gave the impression that the institution was trying desperately to prove: “Everything is under control… everything is secure…. there is no problem…” while students on the ground were screaming: “There is a problem…. and it is a very serious one….” If NEET can leak…. then how safe are the other examinations?
Another Frightening Question
Another frightening question emerges here. NEET-UG is a massive examination. The entire country watches it. Media covers it day and night. Public outrage builds around it. That is why its controversies become visible.
But the National Testing Agency does not conduct only NEET. It also conducts: CUET-UG, CUET-PG, UGC-NET, and several other examinations.
So, the question is: what guarantees exist regarding the transparency of those examinations? It is very possible that smaller-scale leaks occur in several examinations. It is very possible that manipulation happens at some centres. It is very possible that some questions circulate beforehand. But because those examinations are not as large, the media does not highlight them as intensely, public pressure does not build, and they never become national debates. Which means the issue is not just NEET-UG; it is India’s entire examination system.
The system meant to produce doctors… is turning children into patients.
A student spends four or more years preparing solely for NEET. Their entire youth begins revolving around the dream of becoming a doctor. Morning coaching. Night test series. In between: books, pressure, fear, comparison, and the constant feeling that failure this year may end everything. A mother sells her jewellery. A father works extra hours. A sister sacrifices her own wishes. A child studies in unbearable heat without electricity. Someone else stays awake all night despite water shortages. And suddenly the news arrives: Paper leaked… examination cancelled…. This is not merely news; it is a psychological bomb falling upon millions of homes.
Today, India’s entrance examination crisis is becoming a terrifying social and psychological reality. Exams like NEET, JEE, and UGC-NET are no longer simply tests of merit; they are turning into arenas of mental pressure, fear, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion.
The NTA was created with the promise of transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity. But perhaps the meaning of “equality” has changed. Perhaps, in the eyes of the NTA, equality means troubling every student equally.
Today, our examination system increasingly resembles a ruthless elimination mechanism where millions of children are pushed into a narrow tunnel and told that only a handful will emerge alive and successful.
This system is teaching children not how to learn – but how to survive.
The renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote: “Dil na-umeed to nahin, nakaam hi to hai.”
But the tragedy today is that students are not merely failing – they are breaking internally. This system is turning children into patients before turning them into doctors. Anxiety, sleeplessness, panic, racing heartbeat, fear, and feelings of failure have now become part of NEET culture.
Sometimes it feels as if the NTA has decided: “Why should there remain any difference between doctors and patients? First turn the future doctor into a patient.” That is why today thousands of students preparing for medical entrance exams are suffering from psychological pressure, dependent on medicines, living in fear, and trapped in constant uncertainty.
At times it feels as if the NTA has thought: “Why should only those students suffer who score low marks? Why should only those homes feel anxious that fail to achieve high scores? Let even the students scoring 600 or 700 marks experience anxiety, panic attacks, mental distress, and uncertainty.”
Perhaps this is why the formula of “paper leak” and “exam cancellation” has become so destructive: both the successful and the unsuccessful now live in fear. Even a student who reaches near 700 marks after years of hard work can no longer say with confidence that merit alone will decide their future – or whether a leaked paper circulating on Telegram one night will destroy everything.
Earlier, mothers prayed that their child would clear NEET in one attempt and would not have to sit for the examination once again. Now they may begin praying that the administration itself conducts the examination properly in one attempt so that it does not have to be held again.
What could be the solution?
If the government genuinely wants to solve this crisis, merely changing the DG will achieve nothing. Some possible solutions could be:
- An independent audit of the entire examination system. Reconsidering state-level examination models so that the entire burden does not remain on one institution.
- Conducting NEET twice a year to reduce excessive pressure on a single examination.
- Introducing special laws against coaching mafias and paper leak networks.
- Creating compensation policies for students facing financial loss due to cancelled examinations.
- Ensuring complete judicial supervision in investigations of leaked examinations.
- Gradually shifting the entire examination structure toward CBT (Computer Based Test) mode.
- Establishing adequate computer centres in rural and underdeveloped regions so CBT remains accessible beyond urban students.
- Conducting nationwide mock tests before implementing CBT fully so students can adapt to the new system.
- Ensuring complete transparency and public accountability at every stage of the examination process.
So who is responsible? The strangest thing is this: the crime happened, but apparently there is no criminal.
After every scandal: committees are formed, officers are replaced, statements are issued, press conferences are held, promises are made and after some time, the same story begins again. And perhaps that is the greatest tragedy of India’s examination system.
In the end, the issue is no longer about one examination, one leaked paper, or one officer. It is about the credibility and trustworthiness of the entire system. The NTA was once established with the hope that it would make India’s examination structure transparent, secure, and fair. But today, millions of students are beginning to ask whether it still deserves to be called the “National Testing Agency,” or whether it is slowly turning into the “Never Trust Agency.”
NEET No Longer Feels NEAT
The examination called NEET no longer feels NEAT. Students are no longer fighting only books and questions. They are fighting uncertainty, paper leaks, exam cancellations, administrative confusion, and a system in which their trust is weakening day by day.
When a student, even after years of hard work, cannot feel certain that the examination will be fair and secure, then the problem is no longer limited to one institution; it becomes a question upon the entire educational structure.
Today, the need is not merely for a new DG, a new committee, or new promises. The need is for an examination system that does not steal children’s hopes, does not turn poor families’ dreams into a marketplace, and does not turn children into psychological patients in the name of producing doctors.
Otherwise, history may one day write: In this country, children were not robbed of their hard work…. they were robbed of their hope.
