NEET error: Madras HC awards 196 marks to 24k Tamil students
Med Admission Stayed; CBSE To Redo Rank List
Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com 11.07.2018
Madurai: In a ruling that can upend the ongoing MBBS and BDS admissions across the country, the Madras high court on Tuesday ordered awarding 196 ‘grace marks’ to more than 24,000 students who wrote NEET-2018 in Tamil. The court also stayed the ongoing MBBS admissions based on the present merit list, and gave CBSE two weeks to come out with a fresh list of qualified candidates factoring in the grace marks.
Lambasting the CBSE for inaccuracy and wrong translation of 49 questions, each carrying four marks totalling 196, a division bench of justices CT Selvam and AM Basheer Ahmed said: “The list of qualified candidates shall be kept in abeyance as would the counselling, pending publishing details of the qualified candidates afresh.”
The bench was passing orders on a PIL filed by CPM MP T K Rangarajan who claimed that there were translation errors in the Tamil NEET question paper and sought grace marks for all the students. For instance, the word ‘cheetah’ was translated literally as ‘Seetha’ while technical words like multiple allele and Ureter were also translated incorrectly, he had said.
The judges, observing that students who took the exam in Tamil should be given a level playing field, directed the CBSE to grant 4 marks each to the 49 erroneous questions for all those who wrote the exam in Tamil.
The judges also rejected the CBSE’s response, submitted to the court on July 6, that subject experts in regional languages concerned had been requested to translate the NEET question paper from English, and that since they were already teaching the subjects in regional medium, they were aware of the technical terms and so did the students.
Unable to accept CBSE’s response, says Madras HC
The judges said, “We are unable to accept the response given by CBSE.” They added that assuming students’ knowledge of technical terms because their teachers knew them was presumptuous.
They also questioned the board as to how could they determine the marks of Tamil medium students based on their knowledge of English.
“We are left wondering whether the CBSE, a board entrusted with the conduct of examination at the national level, can be so uncertain about the answers to questions raised by it,” the order said, pointing out that such an ambiguity could be acceptable in civil services, but not in NEET which was meant for students in the age group of 17-18.
“The difficulty of a student taking the exam of such importance in understanding rightly a wrong question, be however so mild, is to be appreciated placing ourselves in their shoes and not in the shoes of those having leisure of easy chair reflection,” the order said.
On a parting note, the order also touched upon the issue of private students being ineligible to appear for NEET exams.
Stating that there are tens and thousands of students who pursue private study by working since they are in a position to support their families financially, the court said the board should allow such students in future. “At the end of the day, our constitutional scheme is inclusive, not exclusive. We trust the issue will engage the attention of the authorities,” the order said.
Med Admission Stayed; CBSE To Redo Rank List
Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com 11.07.2018
Madurai: In a ruling that can upend the ongoing MBBS and BDS admissions across the country, the Madras high court on Tuesday ordered awarding 196 ‘grace marks’ to more than 24,000 students who wrote NEET-2018 in Tamil. The court also stayed the ongoing MBBS admissions based on the present merit list, and gave CBSE two weeks to come out with a fresh list of qualified candidates factoring in the grace marks.
Lambasting the CBSE for inaccuracy and wrong translation of 49 questions, each carrying four marks totalling 196, a division bench of justices CT Selvam and AM Basheer Ahmed said: “The list of qualified candidates shall be kept in abeyance as would the counselling, pending publishing details of the qualified candidates afresh.”
The bench was passing orders on a PIL filed by CPM MP T K Rangarajan who claimed that there were translation errors in the Tamil NEET question paper and sought grace marks for all the students. For instance, the word ‘cheetah’ was translated literally as ‘Seetha’ while technical words like multiple allele and Ureter were also translated incorrectly, he had said.
The judges, observing that students who took the exam in Tamil should be given a level playing field, directed the CBSE to grant 4 marks each to the 49 erroneous questions for all those who wrote the exam in Tamil.
The judges also rejected the CBSE’s response, submitted to the court on July 6, that subject experts in regional languages concerned had been requested to translate the NEET question paper from English, and that since they were already teaching the subjects in regional medium, they were aware of the technical terms and so did the students.
Unable to accept CBSE’s response, says Madras HC
The judges said, “We are unable to accept the response given by CBSE.” They added that assuming students’ knowledge of technical terms because their teachers knew them was presumptuous.
They also questioned the board as to how could they determine the marks of Tamil medium students based on their knowledge of English.
“We are left wondering whether the CBSE, a board entrusted with the conduct of examination at the national level, can be so uncertain about the answers to questions raised by it,” the order said, pointing out that such an ambiguity could be acceptable in civil services, but not in NEET which was meant for students in the age group of 17-18.
“The difficulty of a student taking the exam of such importance in understanding rightly a wrong question, be however so mild, is to be appreciated placing ourselves in their shoes and not in the shoes of those having leisure of easy chair reflection,” the order said.
On a parting note, the order also touched upon the issue of private students being ineligible to appear for NEET exams.
Stating that there are tens and thousands of students who pursue private study by working since they are in a position to support their families financially, the court said the board should allow such students in future. “At the end of the day, our constitutional scheme is inclusive, not exclusive. We trust the issue will engage the attention of the authorities,” the order said.
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