As controversy ensues over girl candidates being asked to remove their innerwear in Kerala and hijab in Maharashtra before the NEET UG exam, candidates preparing for entrance tests say that though these issues differ from centre to centre, the broader worry over stringent rules regarding dress code and metal detection is a reality.
Guidelines should remain while not being extreme
Akansha Baranwal, a candidate who gave her NEET exam recently, said that though she never worried about the rules with regards to dress code, situations such as the ones that happened in Kerala should be avoided because of the embarrassment it can create. “You can’t force someone to the point where they don’t want to take the exam, the sole purpose for which they are at the centre,” said Akansha who suggested that the National Testing Agency (NTA) can make the rules more uniform and prescribe them accordingly. “Maybe a white shirt and blue jeans or an outfit combination which can make it difficult for candidates to hide cheating sheets or anything similar might be the solution rather than making them go through a humiliating procedure.
Kerala case exception, not the rule
Another candidate Joseph Johnson, who secured All India Rank 2 in the NEET PG exam this year, stated that the issue of stringent guidelines with regards to one’s dress code and checking lies in the fact that cheating is widespread. “Even when we gave our NEET UG exam, copying was a huge issue which over time led to more rules on what one can and cannot wear. I think the rules should remain but at the same time it’s important to realise that not all centres have the same procedure,” added Johnson, who resides in the city of Thrissur in Kerala and further said that the state is known to have such rigorous checking which might not be the case in other states.
Candidates slam NTA dismissing the allegations
Another student Sanika Kothavade said that though extreme incidents of being told to remove innerwear are rare, it does not look good on the testing agency to not take any responsibility for the same. “I think some of the rules, which includes not wearing long sleeves or earrings, makes sense but going overboard with it wherein the dignity of girls is played with is shameful,” added Sanika.
'Told to remove hijab, dupatta,' claim candidates
Some others expressed reservations over being told to remove symbols and clothes which are religiously affiliated. “Even the incident of girl students being told to remove their hijabs before taking the exam in Washim shouldn’t have happened considering these are very sensitive matters,” stated candidate Riya Parmar.
The former incident was not limited to cities such as Washim, as some students reportedly faced a similar issue in Telangana. “Few of the girls from our exam center, including me, had to remove burkha and dupatta. I personally felt uncomfortable as they didn’t even allow dupatta, even after prescribing customary dress code,” claimed S.Sameena, a NEET-UG candidate from Telangana.
UPSC aspirants say different experience with regards to checking
Aspirants of competitive exams such as UPSC have a different take considering the format of their question papers. “UPSC is tough but we don’t have questions based on particular books, and we answer MCQ questions for the most part. So the checking at our exam centres is not as strict compared to NEET and JEE exam takers,” said Omkar Pawar, who was ranked 194 in the UPSC Civil Services exam 2021.
Where the Kerala NEET UG innerwear removal row stands now?
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has acknowledged the problem wherein students were made to take their bras off before taking the NEET exam in Kollam, Kerala. According to a press statement from NCW, the Commission wrote to the Kerala police and requested a report on the steps taken within three days. The event happened on Sunday, July 17, at the Mar Thoma Institute of Information Technology in Kollam. It came to light after a parent complained that his daughter and other female students were forced to take the exam without their innerwear, which upset them. More parents who had similar complaints came forward after this one was filed.
Five women, who were on NEET exam duty during the incident, have been arrested, police said.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has also constituted a fact-finding committee to ascertain the facts in the alleged incident.
