Sachin Tendulkar has weighed in on the student anger surrounding the NEET controversy, saying society must protect merit and ensure young people do not feel their effort has been wasted.

Via X, the cricket icon wrote that “Failure is okay, cheating is not. Never take shortcuts,” and urged adults, parents, teachers and administrators to take responsibility for shaping culture around honesty and discipline.

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The old wisdom still holds firm

Tendulkar said the values were instilled in him early by his father, whom he described as a professor, mentor and guide to many young students.

He argued that a society which prioritises outcomes over effort will eventually lean towards shortcuts rather than meritocracy, and said it is understandable that students feel disappointed when they believe hard work has not been rewarded.

He also said the goal should be to prevent that frustration from becoming a permanent feature of the system.

A question paper and a nation unsettled

The remarks come against the backdrop of protests over the cancellation of NEET-UG after leaked question papers were found.

About 2 million students took the exam on May 3, before it was later scrapped and a re-test was held in June.

The issue has become part of a wider youth-led agitation over exam integrity and accountability in the education system.

A call for honour over haste

The controversy has already spilled into political and public debate. Opposition parties are pressing the government on the handling of exam security with protesters demanding a stricter response to paper leaks.

Tendulkar’s intervention adds a high-profile sporting voice to that conversation.

His message stayed firmly on the central theme of fairness; hard work should be rewarded, honesty should be encouraged and merit should win.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did Sachin Tendulkar comment on the NEET controversy?

Sachin Tendulkar urged society to reward hard work, uphold honesty and protect merit amid concerns over exam integrity.

Q2: What did Sachin Tendulkar say about cheating?

He said, “Failure is okay, cheating is not,” stressing that success should come through effort rather than shortcuts.