On Sunday, the CBSE conducted the first National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for dental and medical courses in as many as 104 cities across the country. More than 11 lakh aspirants registered. That evening, the media was flooded with a deluge of complaints and harrowing experiences faced by the candidates, and their parents, thanks to the strict dress code enforced for the exam. Among the items barred are black pants, long sleeves, big buttons, brooches, closed shoes, high heels, any metallic item, etc. All of this and more is mentioned in Chapter 11 of the information bulletin for NEET aspirants on the CBSE website.
So why did the aspirants have such a tough time getting into the examination halls on Sunday? Was there a problem with the dissemination of the above information? Or is the NEET dress code a tad too ridiculous? According to the organising body, a strict dress code has been enforced to ensure that there is no use of unfair means and only the meritorious shine through.
But can’t this be done via other means too? What about increasing the number of invigilators? Or even the installation of closed-circuit cameras? Installing mobile jammers and metal detectors at test centers is fine. But frisking students, checking their ear canals with torches, chopping off sleeves and buttons, and forcing them to remove their undergarments if they want to appear for the prestigious examination when they are already under a lot of duress is certainly not the answer.
