NEET: Same questions, different languages

Union Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar has said vernacular question papers for the NEET will be mere translation of the question paper in English.

“The vernacular question papers for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) — the all-India entrance examination for entrance to medical colleges — will just be translation of the question paper in English”, he said. Javadekar was replying to a question about the West Bengal Education minister recently complaining that this year the students appearing for all medical entrance examination in vernacular languages had faced tougher questions than the ones set in English and Hindi.

This year, the CBSE had set different sets of questions for students appearing for the examination in different languages, with students complaining that the vernacular papers, were much tougher than the English and Hindi papers.

When asked by the HRD ministry why different sets of questions had been set by the CBSE — the examination conducting body —, the board had cited security problems given the sheer number of candidates and the large number of languages involved if it resorted to translations.

The HRD ministry appears to have shot down CBSE’s argument. “From next year, there will be mere translation of papers so that such problems do not arise,” Javadekar said.