The National Testing Agency (NTA) is likely to allot more exam centres for NEET aspirants of Valley in a bid to relieve students from travelling to other states for appearing in the national level competitive exam.
The move comes three days after advisor to J&K Governor,Khurshid Ahmad Ganai wrote a letter to secretary department of school educationand literacy in MHRD Rina Ray regarding the allotment of adequate NEET examcentre for Valley students within Kashmir. “The MHRD secretary has taken up thematter with Chairman NTA and requested him to consider allotment of more NEETexam centres for Valley aspirants in Kashmir,” an official privy to thedevelopments told Greater Kashmir.
Greater Kashmir earlier reported about the allotment of fewNEET exam centres in Kashmir by NTA-the exam conducting body undergraduate NEETexam. The allotment of inadequate exam centres to Kashmir had evoked resentmentamong aspirants who urged the state administration to take up the matter withMHRD.
The undergraduate NEET-2019 exam is scheduled to be held onMay 05.
The students had opposed travelling to outside state citingunreliable nature of Jammu-Srinagar highway which is the only link between twocities. Already, there is a two-day per week restriction on the highway whichhas made the travel on this road all the more difficult as well.
“Traveling outside Kashmir to appear in exams provescumbersome for us and it all gets messed up which distracts students’ mindsduring last days of preparations. We pay Rs 1500 as exam fee but we have tobear additional expenses around Rs 12000 to Rs 15000 for travelling by air,”said a NEET aspirant.
Meanwhile, advisor to Governor Kewal Krishan Sharma alsotook up the matter with MHRD and demanded allotment of more exam centres forValley aspirants in Kashmir.
“The governor administration is very keen to get the demandof students fulfilled. We are hopeful that NTA will announce more exam centresin Kashmir,” an official said.
Presently, NTA has designated few NEET exam centres inSrinagar colleges which can accommodate around 5736 aspirants. However around1500 aspirants have been allotted exam centres in outside state who have urgedthe MHRD to shift their centres to Kashmir. Director Colleges J&K has alsowritten to the higher authorities regarding the matter and sought establishmentof NEET exam centre at Kashmir University, Islamic University of Science andTechnology Awantipora, Government Degree College (GDC) Anantnag and Baramulla.
“NEET exam will be conducted in offline mode and directorcolleges has sought formal approval from NTA to setup NEET exam centres inthese institutions,” the official said.
He said the authorities in NTA have asked the stateadministration to furnish the details about the requirement of additional examcentres and number of students to be accommodated in these centres.
“Once the information will be shared with NTA more centresmay be allotted to Kashmir for convenience of students,” the official said.