Kerala Assembly passes resolution seeking reform of national entrance exam system, flags NEET concerns

The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) passed a resolution urging the Central government to undertake comprehensive reforms of the national entrance examination system. The House cited serious concerns over the credibility, transparency and fairness of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and other national-level examinations.

The government resolution, moved by Higher Education Minister Roji M. John, states that the credibility of NEET, the entrance examination for admission to medical education in the country, has come under serious question due to various reported incidents from various parts of India. These include question paper leaks, irregularities in the conduct of the examination, administrative and technical lapses at exam centres, and deficiencies in the evaluation of marks and declaration of results.

The resolution faulted the Centre and the respective Central agencies for “failing to acknowledge” the gravity of the issues in a timely manner and adopting corrective measures, despite serious lapses and irregularities in the conduct of examinations being exposed.

Students affected

It also stated that the opportunities earned through years of hard work and sacrifice by candidates across the country, including a large number of students from Kerala, have been adversely affected because of examination irregularities and administrative failures. Besides violating the constitutional principles of equal opportunity and social justice, the recurring incidents raised doubts regarding the efficiency, accountability and credibility of the existing centralised national examination system.

Moreover, the Assembly noted that the controversies surrounding NEET were “not isolated incidents.” Similar problems have surfaced in several other national-level entrance examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), including the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG), and the UGC-CSIR examinations.

Besides, the recruitment exams conducted by Central government agencies such as the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) have also witnessed incidents of question paper leaks, examination irregularities, postponements, cancellations, technical failures, security lapses and administrative negligence, the resolution said.

The recent irregularities in the CBSE Class 12 examinations also indicated the existence of serious structural and administrative deficiencies in the system, it said.

Penal action sought

The resolution called for identifying officials, institutions and organised examination malpractice networks that are responsible for such irregularities and initiating exemplary criminal proceedings against them. It also sought clear accountability for officials responsible for the administrative lapses.

Pointing out that education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, it also called for strengthening an effective mechanism to ensure that the views and suggestions of State governments are duly considered while taking policy decisions relating to national entrance examinations.