‘Students are suffering’: Teachers upset over NEET-UG 2026 cancellation

New Delhi: The cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination over alleged question paper leak has triggered anger and disappointment among teachers and coaching faculty, who said that repeated controversies surrounding the national-level entrance tests were damaging students’ morale and exposing loopholes in the examination system.

Reacting to the development, Pragya, a Physics faculty teacher, said recurring issues in exams such as National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Common University Entrance Test (CUET) were raising serious concerns about the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

“I feel that what is happening is wrong. Every year, there is some issue or another with these exams, whether it is NEET or CUET. There are loopholes on the part of the NTA, and problems keep arising in the system,” she told IANS.

She recalled that a similar controversy had surfaced in 2024 as well, when the matter even reached the Supreme Court, but students ultimately suffered without any satisfactory resolution.

“If this keeps happening again and again, then why would students continue preparing so seriously? This is a very negative thing for us teachers as well. I would like to say to the NTA: please try to conduct the examinations in a fair manner,” she added.

Nancy, a Biology faculty member, said the latest development had come as a major shock for teachers, students, and parents alike.

“Whenever such exams are held, similar news emerges. Even in 2024, reports had surfaced claiming the paper was leaked, and we had gone to the Supreme Court, but the exam was not cancelled,” she said.

She added that many initially believed the reports this year were only rumours until the official confirmation came from the NTA.

“This morning, we found out that the NEET exam paper had indeed been cancelled. It feels extremely upsetting because we also work very hard along with the students. Everyone feels bad about it — the students, the teachers, and even the parents,” she said.

Echoing similar concerns, Chemistry faculty teacher Lalit Yadav said many educators had sensed that something serious had happened even before the official announcement of paper leak by the Union government.

“We had already started predicting since yesterday. as soon as this news came out, We understood that something was bound to happen,” he added.

He stressed that students and their families bear the maximum burden whenever such controversies erupt.

“A student works hard throughout the year, and parents support them and pay their fees. When they hear that the exam has been cancelled, it has a very negative impact on both the students and their parents,” Yadav said.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled amid allegations of a question paper leak, sparking widespread concern among lakhs of medical aspirants and their families across the country.

IANS