
279848 Absent, 21 Lives Lost: NEET turns catastrophic
How Many More Before the NTA is Scrapped?
Students’ Federation of India demands an immediate action to scrap National Testing Agency that lacks credibility and integrity, with regard to the recent NEET-UG re-exam. The contradictory statements that NTA give out in terms of the number of candidates who appeared for the examination is highly questionable. The incompetence on the part of NTA has pushed a large mass of students and their families into trauma, where around 21 students have committed suicide crushed by the burden.
Following the cancellation of NEET-UG exam held on 3rd May, a re-examination, as assured by NTA was conducted on June 21st. In their official statement after the re-examination, the NTA has declared that “more than 20 lakhs” students appeared for the exam across the country. SFI raised the concern of mass absent at various centres throughout the country immediately and demanded that the NTA released the attendance details of the candidates who appeared. However, as the NEET result was declared on July 16th, the NTA statement mentions that “a total of close to 20 lakh candidates appeared for NEET UG 2026 at 5440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad”.
A total number of 22,79,743 candidates registered for the NEET-UG exam, out of which initially a total number of 22,05,035 candidates appeared for the exam on May 3rd. After the result was declared, the data shows that only 19,99,895 students have appeared for the re-exam, showing an exact number of 2,79,848 students who did not attend the exam. This number exposes the systemic exclusion of students from higher education, where the NTA and the Union Government have been deliberately engaged in streamlining the access to higher education in favour of the commercial, corporate and communal nexus.
An agency like NTA that fails to even provide credible data is incapable of conducting examinations. Students’ lives matter and NTA can no longer play with the future of lakhs of students aspiring for quality education. Scrap NTA and Dharmendra Pradhan must take the accountability and resign from the post of Union Education Minister. SFI sees this trivializing approach of NTA as a mere stunt to conceal their failure and help the Union Government evade accountability. Condemning this we will strongly raise these issues and organise students across the nation to demand justice and accountability.

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