NEET-UG Row: Experts in Medical Education Favour Reverting Back to State Board Result-Based Admission
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 21: Some experts in medical education in the country have favoured the government scrapping the all-India National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and reverting back to the erstwhile system of state-level admissions in medical colleges based on the performance of the higher secondary examinations conducted by the respective state boards.
Even while maintaining that the controversial May 5 NEET-UG examination should not be scrapped in its entirety as fresh examination would be a time consuming affair and derail the current year’s admission process. But steps must be taken in full measure to completely weed out each aspirant who might have figured in the successful list by adopting irregular means.
Pointing out that the Supreme Court was currently hearing the alleged paper leak in the NEET-UG exam and other related irregularities, the experts who were connected with medical admission in Gujarat in the past said, the apex court could consider other options than a re-test even if the inquiry revealed of some irregularities at 4-5 centres showing abnormal results as meritorious students will be at great irreparable loss.
The experts pointed out that NEET was introduced to control capitation practices by self-finance colleges and later it was extended to all colleges, in name of single entry test. They said the exam systems of all state boards and CBSC were time tested and never such loss of confidence issue raised as in the case of the NEET examination this year.
This also helped in quickly completing the admission process after results declaration by board, and medical courses commenced early. Merit lists were prepared only on basis of theory marks and marks in practical’s not considered because of the possibility of these being manipulated at the local levels.
The experts said all states should be allowed to admit students in their state/ university run medical colleges on basis of state merit list on basis of board exam, with pro-rata seats distribution, among candidates. National institutions like AIIMS / Jipmer etc. may continue to have their common admission system.
The Self finance medical colleges can either join each states common admission system or only for these colleges a central test can be conducted. It could also adopt two-phase engineering colleges’ admission system, phase 1 common for all SFIs and AIIMS and second for only top National institutions.
They have also suggested doing away with the 15 per cent central seats and revert back to the old practice like the regional engineering colleges, each state allotted a quota to other states to encourage national integration.
The experts said the coaching mafias like those in Kota and some other places in the country would make hue and cry and would intervene in court process through petitions in the name of students as their future would be at stake but that should not deter the apex court or the government to introduce changes in the medical admission process.
They emphasised that no system of holding an examination in multiple languages could ever be full-proof. Initially Central testing agencies starting with English were reluctant to conduct test in other languages but then they had to start in Hindi and later in many regional languages.
The change would also take care of the mushrooming growth of dummy school practices which were being run only for business without imparting any education to students. All in Education department, ministers, secretaries, directors and officials of state boards and others in the academic field are in the know of the dummy school nuisance but were not able to speak against it because of the clout the unethical system has developed, the experts said.
