Medical colleges want NEET to be optional
The Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI) organized a meeting on July 25 to discuss the feasibility of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The session was attended by senior representatives of nearly 30 medical institutes of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Maharashtra, reported The Hindu.
After a brainstorming debate, came the conclusion that the participating colleges will submit a memorandum to the Centre asking for the exam to be made optional.
EPSI president and chancellor of the Vellore Institute of Technology University, G Viswanathan told The Hindu that the senior secondary curriculum varies among different states. In order to make the NEET feasible, uniformity is required in the curriculum across all 24 boards.
He feels that such a common exam will be challenging for students from rural areas or those who cannot afford coaching classes. According to Viswanathan, the exam is not student-friendly as a student will lose one whole year if he/she misses one exam in NEET. However, students would be able to attempt other exams if NEET was made optional.
Apart from this, the meet also addressed other issues including various proposed legislations and regulations affecting the conduct of medical and allied educational programmes and institutions. (Read more)
According to a Deccan Herald report, EPSI president, G Viswanathan informed that there are approximately 42,000 MBBS seats in the country against lakhs of aspirants. Besides submitting the memorandum to the Centre, EPSI will also become a party to cases filed against NEET before the Supreme Court, he asserted.
Viswanathan is also not in favour of the introduction of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for I PU. According to him, NCF should be adopted right from the primary level for it to work. A few weeks ago, a protest organized by the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO), was staged in the state of Karnataka against the “sudden” introduction of NCF at the pre-university level, labeling the new scheme as “unilateral, undemocratic, and highly discriminatory”. (Read complete story)
EPSI does not encourage the mandatory one year rural stint for MBBS students. Viswanathan says it should be made compulsory only for those students who study with government aid. Moreover, the participating universities have decided to oppose the National Council for Human Resources in Health (NCHRH) Bill, 2011, in totality. (Read more)
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