Advisor raised a concern with the principal secretary of the department of health and medical education (H&ME).
29 July, Srinagar: Since the National Board of Examination (NBA) has not built any test centres inside the Valley, Kashmiri students preparing to take the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Specialty (NEET-SS) are in great hardship.
The NEET-SS exam is slated to take place on September 9–10, 2023, putting the students with the burden of travelling to Jammu or other states to sit the significant test. On September 4, admit cards are anticipated to be released.
One of the candidates, Shehla, said, “The lack of exam centres within the Valley has caused significant inconvenience for students, who are forced to bear the financial strain of flight tickets and hotel accommodations.”
The difficult situation is made worse by the rising expense of travel as well as the uncertainty brought on by the regular closures of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway because of bad weather.
“The exam-conducting body has previously failed to take into account the demands of Valley pupils. Due to the dearth of easily accessible test centres, candidates from the area endure mental anguish and suffering each time a national-level competitive exam is conducted, another applicant told Greater Kashmir.
The candidates, who are upset, immediately demand for action, pleading with the government of Jammu and Kashmir to step in and resolve the matter with the relevant authorities. They demand that Valley students have the same possibilities to pursue their aspirations in the medical sector.
The lack of test centres in the Valley interferes with the aspirants’ academic goals and calls into question the fairness and inclusiveness of such national-level exams, the aspirant emphasised.
The students are hoping that the LG Manoj Sinha-led J&K government would step in and make sure that there are enough NEET-SS test centres set up in the Valley. They emphasise the necessity for early action to assign test centres to them locally as the exam date approaches.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, the J&K Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) advisor, said that the issue had been raised with the department’s principal secretary for health and medical education (H&ME). There will be an effort made to find a testing location in the Valley.
Greater Kashmir was reassured by Bhatnagar that the Principal Secretary will bring up the issue with the relevant authorities and that they would do everything possible to assign a centre to the area.
