 "NEET: Its journey and how it will effect you")
The Parliament on Monday approved two significant Bills providing for putting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in place.
With the Parliament giving its nod, from next year, admission to medical and dental courses across the country, including those offered by private colleges, will be done through NEET. Further, states will not be able to hold their separate entrance exams after the one year exemption offered to them expires.
Despite protests and a walkout by the AIADMK, the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, were passed in the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The Bills had been approved by the Lok Sabha earlier.
The journey so far
1) 2012: The Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India had introduced NEET in 2012 for admission to both under-graduate and post-graduate medical courses. NEET for admission to under-graduate medical courses in government and private institutions was meant to be held in 2012 itself. However, the exam was delayed by a year.
2) 2013: The Supreme Court said that NEET was unconstitutional as it would deprive state-run medical colleges and private colleges from holding their own entrance exams. The order came after opposition from various states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
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3) April, 2016: However, in April this year the apex court decided to review its 2013 order.
Later that same month, the apex court said that students aspiring for admission to under-graduate medical courses would have to appear for NEET. The verdict said that all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would be covered under NEET.
The apex court gave its nod to two-phase holding of the NEET by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
4) May, 2015: However, in May this year, the government approved promulgation of an Ordinance to keep state boards out of the ambit of NEET for one academic year.
The move came after nearly 6.5 lakh students had already sat for the first phase of NEET held on May 1 and the next phase of the exam had been scheduled for July 24, 2016.
On May 24, President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Ordinance.
As reported earlier, through the Ordinance, states were given the option of either conducting their own exam or be part of the NEET to fill 85% of the under-graduate medical and dental seats. The remaining 15% seats would be filled through NEET route by all India counselling.
However, for post-graduate courses, the exam would be held under NEET for 2017-18 session, in December this year.
What does this mean for students
For the students, NEET would remove the necessity to appear for multiple entrance tests.
Out of the total number of seats for MBBS available in the country till last year, 25,330 of them are available in government medical colleges and 24,660 are in private medical colleges. According to experts, there are at least 100 different entrance tests conducted every year for prospective students, with the entrance examination fee ranging from Rs 1,200 to Rs 6,000. This leads to an expenditure of nearly Rs 25,000 if a student chooses to appear for six or seven entrance tests at different places. NEET will obviate the need to incur such expenses.
Furthermore, a recent report of the Parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare observed, "... Seats in private medical colleges are allotted for a capitation fee going up to Rs 50 lakh and even more in some colleges despite the fact that it is illegal...."
The committee added, "... If a unitary Common Entrance Exam is introduced, the capitation fee will be tackled in a huge way...."
Speaking on the topic on Monday, Health Minister J P Nadda said that the exam will be held on the basis of NCERT syllabus. Additionally, while the under-graduate exam will be taken up by CBSE, the post-graduate exam will come under the National Board of Examinations.
Some states, such as Gujarat, had raised apprehensions about not conducting the test in regional languages.
Responding to such issues, Nadda said, "Tests will also be conducted in regional languages."
He added that the Health Ministry has written to all the states seeking details about the number of students who appeared in local languages in the past three years so that the Centre can make plans accordingly.