NEET remains as one of the most competitive exam of national importance where lakhs of students appear annually. Any compromise on this front is highly discouraging for the students who toil hard for this exam.
Super 30 founder Anand Kumar on Tuesday called for tighter regulation of coaching centres and stronger safeguards in the examination system after NEET UG 2026 was cancelled over alleged irregularities, saying repeated controversies around competitive exams leave students demoralised.
The National Testing Agency decided to scrap NEET-UG 2026, exactly nine days after the examination was conducted, on May 3. The agency said fresh dates for the re-conducted examination would be announced separately. NEET-UG, the gateway for undergraduate medical admissions across India, was taken this year by nearly 22 lakh students.
Reacting to the cancellation, Kumar described the development as “very unfortunate” but urged students to stay strong. “This is a very unfortunate thing. Students lose morale every time something like this happens,” Kumar said during a phone interview with Aaj Tak TV.
At the same time, he said it was reassuring that the accused linked to the alleged malpractice had been identified and caught. “The good thing is that the accused have been caught. I would advise students to stay strong and remain optimistic that they have got another chance,” he said.
CALLS FOR STRICTER OVERSIGHT OF COACHING CENTRES
Kumar said the government must act firmly to ensure such incidents are not repeated. “The government should take strict action and ensure that this is not repeated,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of coaching centres being involved in the alleged irregularities, an angle under investigation by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG), Kumar said tougher regulation of coaching institutes was necessary.
“It’s important to tighten the noose on coaching centres. There should be strict implementation of rules. The government must ensure tough measures like China,” he said.
Kumar was referring to the stringent anti-cheating and examination integrity measures adopted by Beijing in recent years for the gaokao, China’s highly competitive national college entrance examination.
HOW CHINA HAS TIGHTENED EXAM SECURITY
Some of the key measures implemented by China in recent years include:
- China launched its sweeping “Double Reduction” policy in 2021 under President Xi Jinping, imposing strict curbs on the private tutoring industry to reduce academic pressure on students and limit the commercialisation of education.
2. Under the 2021 policy, authorities banned for-profit tutoring in core school subjects, restricted coaching classes during weekends and holidays, and tightened state oversight of the private coaching sector.
3. Alongside the crackdown on coaching centres, measures introduced by China’s Ministry of Education include advanced anti-cheating technologies, stricter monitoring of examination centres, enhanced security protocols for handling question papers, and tighter oversight of the entire examination process from printing to administration.
4. Authorities have also focused on preventing fraudulent admissions and so-called “stolen” college seats by increasing scrutiny during admissions and results processing.
5. China has additionally expanded support for students from rural and economically weaker regions by increasing admission quotas in top universities and introducing reforms allowing students in some provinces greater flexibility in choosing subjects aligned with their strengths.
