Glitches lead to arguments at NEET centres

CHENNAI: While the COVID-19 protocols were followed at most of the NEET examination centres, glitches led to heated arguments between students and coordinators at some venues on Sunday.

Coordinators at some examination centres had a tough time dealing with the overcrowding of the parents, who had to rush back to collect the hall ticket and other related documents as some of them were misinformed.

The students who wrote the exam at the Alwin International

School in Tambaram were stunned when they were asked to present all the pages of the hall ticket as they were informed that only the first page of the hall ticket was to be carried inside the examination hall.

“The selection committee instructions stated that the first page was enough and the students went to the examination room with only the first page. My child was asked for the rest of the pages inside the examination hall and I had to rush home to bring the other pages of the hall ticket,” said a parent of an MBBS aspirant at an exam venue.

At one examination centre, an argument erupted between officials and parents after, when presented with torn hall ticket pages, the centre coordinator told the students that they will have to appear for the exam next year.

Sriperumbudur RDO had to intervene to settle the issue and parents who had the other pages of the hall ticket submitted it to the selection committee officials at the centre. Others asked for a time extension until the examination got over and submitted them by 5 pm.

A few examination centres saw confusion over dress codes like last year and many students were made to wait in the queue citing safety protocols before allowing them inside the examination centre at 11 am.

“The seating inside the examination centre has been arranged to ensure social distancing and prevent other chaos. The students reported on time and we reiterated on what all materials were allowed inside the hall and what all not allowed as there was confusion earlier,” said an examination coordinator at a centre in Arumbakkam.