More than 500 aspirants from violence-hit Manipur write NEET in Kohima

KOHIMA— After missing the much-anticipated National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2023 for admission to medical courses on May 7 due to the unprecedented violence in Manipur, more than 500 aspirants from the state took the test at two centres in Kohima on Tuesday.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the entrance test, had announced a new date to facilitate students affected by the violence to write the exam on June 6 in several states, including Nagaland.

As many as 534 aspirants from Manipur, mostly from tribal areas, wrote NEET UG at National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), Meriema and Model Higher Secondary School (MHSS) in Kohima.

The three hours and twenty-minute (12 PM to 3:20 PM) examination concluded smoothly at both the exam centres.

A total of 641 students were supposed to appear for the test but 107 didn’t turn up.

At NIELIT, 285 out of 354 applicants sat for the test, while 249 students out of 287 appeared for the exam at MHSS, according to official sources.

Students, parents and guardians shared their experiences with Eastern Mirror on the challenges they faced while preparing for the exam due to the violence in Manipur and their worries owing to the change of date and exam centres.

“We were so worried about what would happen on the way, in the exam centre, and how it would be but unexpectedly it went well,” Mary Gangmei from Tamenglong district, said after the test.

“Sometimes, we feel so worried that our one year will be wasted. We are worried about how it will be if we did not appear for the exam this year; it would have been a waste. All the students (in Manipur) were affected (by the violence outbreak) but we kept on going,” she shared.

She said that she started taking coaching in Imphal for her first NEET exam after passing Class 12 last year.

Felidia Kasomhung, a 19-year-old candidate from Ukhrul district, said that did not do well in the test this time. “Most of us were anxious due to the uncertainty in the exam date and the exam centres,” she said.

She said that the thought of giving up the test come to her mind because of the uncertainty caused by the violence in her home state as financial constraint, as she had to incur some expenses for conveyance and accommodation.

The eldest of six siblings, she said her parents had financial difficulties and one of her younger sisters who was studying in Imphal, also had to come back home due to the situation in the state.

Akhon Gangmei, whose daughter appeared for the test, said it was challenging to come all the way from Tamenglong to Kohima. She along with some other acquaintances hired a vehicle for INR 15,000, to come to Kohima for their children’s test.

Recounting her daughter’s preparation for NEET, she said her daughter took six-month coaching and was preparing for the NEET exam in Imphal, which earlier scheduled on May 7.

But due to the outbreak of violence, her hostel warden requested the parents to take their children home. Then the exam was postponed.

“My daughter has been studying well until the ethnic violence hit Manipur, which petrified her and affected her studies. Out of fear, sometimes she even forgets some chapters. Though the test was scheduled on May 7 across the country, things were uncertain in Manipur due to the violent situation. That has worried all the aspirants and at times they used to cry,” the mother narrated.

Initially, the NTA notified that the NEET exam for Manipur students would be held on any date between June 3 and 5, but did not specify the date.

Since, nothing was finalised including exam dates, centres and admit cards, they reached Kohima on Friday.

The matter of admit card and exam centres added to their woes even after coming to Kohima, she said, adding they received the admit card only on June 5 (Monday), a day before the test.

Her daughter, Thuan Gangmei, prepared for this year’s NEET exam for eight months. It was her third attempt and she tried to prepare her studies based on the previous year’s question papers.

The NTA has allowed candidates of Manipur to change the centres of NEET and CUET examinations to Aizawl, Kohima/Dimapur, Shillong, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Imphal.

Also read: Manipur NEET 2023 exam date: Medical entrance test be held between June 3-5, CUET-UG from June 5-8