|
Author :
Nisha Sharma |
NEW DELHI: The government is now studying a hybrid exam pattern under which question papers may be digitally sent to centres and printed on-site under tight security. This is being seen as a better option, as full online exams for 23 lakh students are still posing a challenge on both logistical and infrastructural fronts, two years after the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak row and the never-before NEET-UG 2026 cancellation.
A senior health ministry official said that possible reforms in the conduct of the NEET will be discussed in the next few days between the ministry, NMC and NTA, whether certain parts of the exam conduction process could be digitised.
According to officials, the "computer-assisted secure paper-based test" suggested by the Radhakrishnan Committee is now turning out to be a potential compromise between offline and purely computer-based tests. Under the proposal, encrypted question papers would be delivered to secure servers at test centres or regional centres shortly before the exam, where they would be printed through high-speed secure printers.
"The objective is to eliminate the manual handling of question papers during the stages of transport and storage as these are considered critical stages", an official explained and noted that printing of the papers close to the examination would prevent leaks.
Today, we do not have enough computers available for 25 lakh students to take the exam in one day. If the entire test goes online, it has to be conducted on several different days and multiple shifts. Then we have a phenomenon called "normalisation," which makes it difficult to ensure a fair score for all students, as it cannot be ascertained whether some questions on one particular day were harder to solve than the questions asked on another day.
The majority of the students hail from small towns and villages. In the offline examination, these schools in the villages can be turned into examination centres; however, an online exam requires certain centres where there is a provision for a stable internet connection and electricity. If it completely moves to the online platform, students would be forced to travel long distances to the city to find an examination centre. Several students are not yet computer savvy.
A hybrid model can make sure that you gain an advantage from both models. An advantage in retaining the offline model is not having the "normalisation" issues, so all the students write the same questions. Students in remote villages would also still have their local schools as centres for writing the exam.
Chat with us