NEW DELHI, May 12 (ANI) — Following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over allegations of a paper leak, Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday said the National Testing Agency will soon announce fresh dates for the examination.
Speaking to ANI in New Delhi, Kumar said, “The government has taken a decision and they are going to reconduct the examination. I guess the National Testing Agency (NTA) will come out with new dates.”
Kumar also spoke about the central government’s efforts to introduce artificial intelligence and computational thinking into school education through a revamped curriculum jointly prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training and the Central Board of Secondary Education.
“NCERT and CBSE together have already brought out the new curriculum for computational thinking and Artificial Intelligence, from classes 3 to 8. That has already been introduced. We are going to train the teachers this summer. So, as and when the classes begin after the summer vacation, we start teaching,” Kumar said.
He added that dedicated AI textbooks are also being prepared for senior classes.
“And then, of course, AI books are being made by the NCERT for classes 9, 10, 11 and 12,” he said.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was canceled amid allegations of question paper leaks, triggering concerns about the integrity of the nationwide medical entrance test.
Meanwhile, several NEET aspirants across the country expressed frustration and disappointment over the cancellation, saying years of preparation had been disrupted.
A student from Patna said, “Two years of hard work was wasted. We are upset with the NTA because this happened last year as well. Such incidents of paper leak might occur in the future again. The tests should be conducted in online mode. I was expecting over 650 marks and my parents had great expectations from me. The NTA should bring reforms.”
Another aspirant from Patna questioned the examination system, saying, “Why does such an issue occur? The NTA should conduct the exam properly and should not ruin our hard work.”
In Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, a NEET aspirant supported the decision to cancel the examination, saying deserving candidates should receive fair results.
“This is a correct decision because those who work hard should and will get the result they deserve. Those who did not work hard will not pass through,” the student said.
Another aspirant from Udaipur said students who prepare for years ultimately suffer because of systemic lapses.
“After preparing for two years, if they say after 10 days of the exams that the paper will have to be canceled because it was leaked, children suffer. The people who are leaking the papers in the NTA are responsible,” the student said.
In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, another student expressed concern over the emotional and academic toll of having to reappear for the examination.
“Almost everyone who appears for NEET starts preparing two years ahead. It will create demotivation. My year will get wasted if I don’t give the same amount of effort for the second time,” the aspirant said.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3 in pen-and-paper mode across more than 5,400 centers in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.
Approximately 2.279 million students appeared for the examination.
Following allegations of paper leaks and irregularities, the central government canceled the examination and announced that it would be reconducted on dates to be announced later.
The government has also referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a detailed investigation into the alleged irregularities surrounding the examination process. (ANI)
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