Kevin.MendonsaMangaluru: The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) re-examination scheduled for June 21 has triggered a logistical crunch for outstation candidates returning to the education hubs of Mangaluru and Udupi, as families scramble to secure accommodation and transport in this monsoon season.During the initial NEET held in May, thousands of students from other parts of Karnataka, who study in coastal districts, stayed in their residential PU college hostels and travelled to exam centres through arrangements coordinated by institutions. With the examination cycle disrupted and hostels vacated after the earlier test, many candidates who had relied on campus facilities now face uncertainty over where to stay, in the days leading up to the re-exam.College management representatives said a section of students who wrote the May exam in Mangaluru and Udupi, have chosen to take the June 21 re-examination in their hometowns to avoid travel and accommodation issues. However, others have opted to return to the coastal centres, citing familiarity and convenience after having already appeared there once.Narendra L Nayak, chairman of the Expert Group of Institutions, said the re-exam has shifted the responsibility for logistics from colleges to parents. He said hundreds of students were initially called back to campus for re-coaching after the exam disruption, but later returned to their hometowns. “While some of them have opted to write the re-exam in their hometowns, the majority have decided to appear from Mangaluru due to convenience, as they earlier appeared here,” he said, adding that parents now have to arrange stay and travel that was earlier provided by colleges during the May exam.Parents accompanying candidates are increasingly turning to hotels, raising concerns about possible price increases due to the sudden surge in demand. Families said they are already dealing with financial and emotional strain after the cancellation and rescheduling, and are seeking quiet, stable environments to help students revise immediately before the high-stakes test.Some institutions are stepping in to ease the pressure. Vivek Alva, managing trustee of Alva’s Education Foundation, said around 600 NEET aspirants have been accommodated on campus for a month. “They have been undergoing coaching, and we will arrange logistics to their respective exam centres,” he said.
