NEET not so neat this year?

The Supreme Court’s order to conduct the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) instead of the All India Pre Medical test (AIPMT) for the academic year 2016-17 has left medical aspirants in a fix. The exam, which is slated to be held in two phases, has also been declared by the Government to cover states like Jammu and Kashmir and Telangana which enjoy special category status. This article seeks to provide a bird’s eye view of the student’s predicament and the response of various stakeholders.The verdictThe Apex Court on April 11 ordered all medical colleges, including deemed institutions, to take admissions on the basis of NEET. The Bench, comprising Justice Anil Dave, Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice R.K. Agrawal, Justice A.K. Goel and Justice R. Banumati observed, “After giving our thoughtful and due consideration, we are of the view that the judgment delivered in Christian Medical College (supra) needs reconsideration. We do not propose to state reasons in detail at this stage so as to see that it may not prejudicially affect the hearing of the matters”. “Suffice it is to mention that the majority view has not taken into consideration some binding precedents and more particularly, we find that there was no discussion among the members of the Bench before pronouncement of the judgment.” It had then directed on Thursday that NEET-2016 be conducted in two phases.The ScheduleNEET will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in two languages, English and Hindi. All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), which is being considered as the first phase of NEET, will be held on May 1. Six lakh students will be appearing for NEET-1 at 1,040 centres in 52 cities, including abroad. Those students who had not applied for NEET-1 will be given an opportunity to appear for NEET-2 on July 24.The results for NEET-1 as well as NEET-2 will be declared on August 17 and admission process will be completed by September 30.MPs across the political divide in Lok Sabha discuss postponementThe discussion on NEET found its way to the Lok Sabha on Friday, with the MPs from both sides of the political divide reportedly demanding that the exam be postponed.“This affects the lives of lakhs of children. Students would be in great stress due to this decision. I would appeal to the government to combine the two tests and hold a single test on July 24,” BJP MP Jagdambika Pal was quoted as saying during the Zero Hour.Congress MP Rajiv Satav was however of the view that the system should be implemented from 2018, giving the State two years’ time to prepare for it. He demanded that the Government should either find a legal recourse to postpone the exam, or allow all students to appear on July 24.Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant pointed out that students from boards other than CBSE might find it challenging to prepare for the test.The verdict vis-à-vis State entrance exams MaharashtraMaharashtra Medical Education minister Vinod Tawde on Friday reportedly declared that the State Government would file a review petition in the Supreme Court. Mr. Tawde requested students to appear for the state's medical entrance examination, MH-CET, on May 5, saying that even if the SC turned down its plea to conduct MH-CET on May 5, the students still have the chance to appear for NEET-2 on July 24.“There are over four lakh students who have registered for admission to medical and professional courses. Out of these 1.5 lakh students opt for medical and dental courses. Following the SC order, we will now file a review petition in the SC to allow admissions to medical courses via the MHT-CET,” Dr. Pravin Shingare, DMER, told The Indian Express.“We are still going through the judgment but our stand is clear. We would file a review petition against the SC order on Monday,” state medical education secretary Medha Gadgil told DNA.The State’s plea would bank on the premise that students from HSC Board, appearing for the 85% of the state-level admission quota seats, will not be able to compete with the students from CBSE boards in the NEET because of the difference in syllabus.Tamil NaduThe Tamil Nadu Government has also appealed to the Apex Court, against making NEET compulsory for admissions. The State does not have any entrance exam for professional courses, with the admissions being based on the marks scored in standard 12th. This is to ensure that students from rural areas also get into medicine, engineering and other professional courses in large numbers.Calling it a crime against principles of social justice, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S. Ramadoss blamed the Centre for taking the decision unilaterally without consulting the states on matters concerning education which is in concurrent list. He was of the opinion that the State Government should inform the Centre in unequivocal terms that any decision on common entrance test will not be binding on it.AssamChief Minister of Assam Mr. Tarun Gogoi has also joined the bandwagon, seeking review of the...

NEET not so neat this year?

Apoorva Mandhani

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