NEET Cancellation Shatters Dreams Of Aspirants, Pushes Many Girls Towards Marriage Pressure

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The cancellation of the NEET-UG examination has left a large number of medical aspirants in limbo, while also placing many young women under emotional and social pressure as families begin considering marriage over another attempt at the competitive exam.

For students from rural and middle-class backgrounds, years of preparation, education loans, hostel expenses and personal sacrifices now seem wasted. In many households, repeated delays and controversies surrounding NEET have prompted families to reconsider whether their daughters should continue preparing for the examination or get married instead.

Free Press spoke to a few girl aspirants from Madhya Pradesh whose lives have been deeply affected by the cancellation.

Relatives are now asking parents to get Madhu married

Madhu Shukla, a NEET aspirant from Mithauli village in Sidhi, said, I was getting around 650 marks. I was staying in a hostel in MP Nagar for the last two years while preparing for NEET. We only have farming as our source of income, and from that my father had to manage both household expenses and my coaching and hostel fees.

She said adjusting to city life in Bhopal was difficult for her because she came from a village background, and she fell ill many times.

Madhu said she had returned to her village after appearing for the examination and was hopeful of finally securing admission this year. She said that her father was discussing how they would manage if she had to return to Bhopal for preparation again.

She said even appearing for the examination involved major expenses for her family. Her examination centre was in Rewa, around 200km from her village.

Families lose trust and start blaming us. Boys still get more chances, but girls are shown dreams of marriage much earlier. In my village, people and relatives immediately start saying that nothing will happen now, so get her married, she said.

Family gave Vishakha four years, now only two are left

Vishakha Baghel, an aspirant from Harda who prepared for the examination in Bhopal, said the cancellation had completely shattered the hopes her family had pinned on this attempt. This was my second attempt and I was certain that I would clear NEET this year. According to the answer key, I was getting around 590 marks.

My father had taken a loan of nearly Rs1 lakh to Rs1.5 lakh for my preparation because all of us believed that this time I would finally get through, she said. Vishakha said her family had already spent two years supporting her preparation and were now losing hope after the cancellation. Two years are already gone and I only have two years left.

I don t understand what I will do now. Every attempt means coaching fees, hostel expenses, travel and test series costs. In a joint family, arranging this kind of money again and again is not easy, she said. Families start feeling that enough time and money have already been spent. People begin questioning whether girls should continue preparing or move ahead with marriage instead. It becomes mentally exhausting after a point. That is why people die by suicide, she said.