HRD Ministry to decide soon to allow 500 Karnataka students to rewrite NEET exam

The HRD Ministry has assured the Karnataka government it would soon decide on their request to allow over 500 students from the state, who missed the NEET exam on Sunday due to a train delay, to write it again, the Chief Ministers office said Monday. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday held a meeting with Chief Secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar and Higher Education Department officials on the issue.

The students missed the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday as their train reached Bengaluru an hour after the scheduled reporting time and also due to a change in an exam centre, reportedly without any prior information. "The CM held a meeting with the CS & Higher Edu Dept on the issue of 500+ students unable to take #NEET due to a train delay on Sunday.

The CS, as directed by the CM, requested HRD ministry to let students take the exam again. The ministry has assured that they will take a decision ASAP," the Chief Minister's Office said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda also wrote to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, seeking an early solution to the issue. "I have spoken to @PrakashJavdekar Ji and also written a letter For Early solution with Regards to #NEET Exam in Karnataka, which is attached," Gowda tweeted.

He said the situation could easily have been averted had the National Testing Authority given wide publicity on the change in exam centre and intimated students well in advance. "I shall be grateful if you could kindly look into the matter and do the needful to provide one more opportunity to the missing students to write the exam," the letter attached to Gowdas tweet read.

According to reports, over 500 students from various places in North Karnataka districts failed to make it to the exam venue due to a five-hour delay in Hampi Express while the others missed the opportunity due to a change in an exam centre.

(With inputs from agencies.)