Page 16 - EducationWorld Oct 2021

Education News

— the common exam that determines field will be tilted against
admission to all 542 medical colleges students from state board-
— government, deemed universities affiliated schools. There-
and private — countrywide. While fore, it would be beneficial
the recently elected DMK govern- for students to be admitted
ment has moved quickly to enact the in Maharashtra’s 55 medi-
Tamil Nadu Admission to Under- cal (public and private)
graduate Medical Degree Courses colleges according to their
Act, 2021, on September 13, to elimi- grades/score in the class
nate the compulsory status of NEET XII exams of any exam
for TN students, Maharashtra’s MVA board,” argues Patole.
government has initiated a “review” But although state
of the compulsory status of NEET governments and private
and its impact on admission pros- medical colleges oppose
pects of students, especially those Nana Patole: tilted playing field fear NEET, a large and grow-
from socially backward classes, into ing number of parents
the state’s 55 medical colleges. 2016. The Lok Sabha passed a Bill and their associations are satisfied
The rationale of NEET introduced mandating the conduct of one com- with this single national exam. “Any
by the Congress-led UPA-II gov- mon exam for medical and dental government looking to end injustice
ernment in 2012 is that a common courses on July 18, 2016 and the first against the middle class or socially
entrance exam for aspiring medical NEET was conducted in two phases backward classes would not want to
practitioners would save students the on May 1 and July 24 in its debut revert to the old system in which stu-
trouble of writing multiple state gov- year (2016). NEET has since been dents were forced to write multiple
ernment and private college entrance the sole gateway for admissions to exams and private medical colleges
exams. Prior to legislation of NEET, study all branches of medicine — had free rein during admissions.
higher secondary school-leavers MBBS (bachelor of medicine and If the MVA government is truly
wrote several entrance exams to bachelor of surgery), BDS (bachelor interested in providing a level play-
improve their chances of admission of dental surgery), BAMS (bachelor ing field for state board students, it
into medical college. In Maharashtra, of Ayurveda medicine and surgery), should accept the NCERT (National
while the state government conduct- BHMS (bachelor in homeopathic Council of Educational Research and
ed a common entrance test MH-CET, medicine and surgery) and other Training) model syllabus for govern-
students also wrote the Asso-CET undergraduate medical courses in ment and Maharashtra state board
(conducted by the Association of approved medical, dental, AYUSH schools and provide free coaching to
Managements of Private Medical and and other institutions. state board students,” says Sudha
Dental Colleges) for admission into second reason for states’ opposi- Shenoy, executive president, Save
private medical colleges (affiliated A tion to NEET is that higher sec- Merit, Save Nation (Maharashtra
with the Maharashtra University of ondary graduates from state board chapter).
Health Sciences), and also exams schools tend to be less successful in In this connection, it’s also im-
conducted by deemed universities of- the pan-India NEET. In a letter writ- portant to bear in mind that Patole’s
fering medical degree programmes. ten to Maharashtra chief minister recommendation to the MVA govern-
Inevitably, NEET was opposed Uddhav Thackeray, state Congress ment to permit Maharashtra’s medi-
by state governments and private chief Nana Patole has demanded cal colleges to admit students on
colleges as it would dilute their dis- the NEET exam be scrapped for Ma- the basis of class XII scores is based
cretionary power to admit students. harashtra since instances of question on the presumption that the Tamil
Under NEET, one national exam papers being leaked and imposters Nadu Admission to Undergraduate
conducted by the National Test- writing the exam are increasing. Also Medical Course Act, 2021, will stand
ing Agency would create a national NEET questions based on the pan- the test of constitutional legitimacy.
master list with all medical colleges India Central Board of Secondary Down south, several writ petitions
inviting applications indicating ad- Education (CBSE) and the Council challenging the constitutional valid-
mission cut-offs (minimum grades) of the Indian School Certificate ity of the Act are being filed. And in
required. Examinations (CISCE) syllabuses light of the three-judge bench of the
Following four years of litiga- are skewed to favour students from apex court having already approved
tion, a three-judge bench of Justices national boards, placing state board NEET on April 28, 2016, the Tamil
Anil R. Dave, Shiva Kirti Singh and students at a disadvantage. Nadu legislation is likely to be struck
A.K. Goel upheld NEET on April 28, “In Maharashtra too, the playing down.

16 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2021