By Wallamboklang Rynjah
The Medical Council of India (MCI), vide its Notification No. MCI- 81(1)/2010-MED/49070 dated 21/12/10 published on 27/12/10 had notified the above NEET for admission to Medical Courses conducted in Colleges all across the Country. Fearing the adverse impact that the said Notification will have upon their students, the CMC, Vellore and the Karnataka Pvt. Medical and Dental College, among others, have filed Writ Petitions in the Supreme Court of India challenging the said Notification. Altogether, there have been 115 such matters lying with the Supreme Court of India.
The challenge to the said Notification gave rise to a wide range of submissions involving the competence of the Medical Council Of India constituted under Section 3 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 to introduce such a test which denudes the different medical colleges across the country from having any control over their entrance examinations and admissions on the basis thereof.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court, vide their Order dt. 13/`12/12 had allowed the respective entrance examinations, which had already been notified to be held by the MCI, the Dental Council of India as well as the States and Universities and other Institutions. Such examinations included the said NEET for both MBBS and Post Graduate Courses in different disciplines as also the BDS and MDS Examinations. But the results of such examinations were not to be declared until further orders by the Court. While the matters were being heard, the learned counsels for CMC Vellore and the Karnataka Pvt. Medical and Dental College had pleaded that in such a situation, a large number of the students would adversely be affected and would stand to lose a year if the bar on the declaration of their results was not lifted.
The Supreme Court while taking cognizance of the impending problems that would arise, had thought it best that such opportunities should not be denied to students at least for this year. Moreover, the poor students, had unnecessarily, been caught in the legal tangle through no fault of theirs and become the victims of policy decisions. And, as such, the Supreme Court of India had, vide their order dated 13/5/13, considered it just and equitable to lift the said bar so imposed on 13/12/12 and, therefore, allowed the results of the examinations already conducted to be declared to enable the students to take advantage of the same for the current year.
Now, in Meghalaya, it appears that our students had been put in lots of problems and difficulties as until now, it is not clear as to what steps the Government will take in this matter. Although the Supreme Courts’ orders are not directly related to Meghalaya, yet, we will be covered by it and the order will therefore, have an indirect impact which will adversely affect the interest of our students aspiring to undergo different medical courses in the country. The path is beset with difficulties and uncertainties thereby putting our poor students in a dilemma insofar as getting admissions to MBBS courses etc. unless they pass the said NEET with high percentile marks. It appears that we have been caught unawares and our students had not been advised earlier though the Notification in this respect had been issued since 2010 as mentioned earlier. Many students did not know that they have to appear for the said NEET and those who have appeared in the said examination though declared successful on 5/6/13, had scored low percentile marks. This has greatly affected the MBOSE students as the said NEET is better suited to CBSE students. Some of the MBOSE students might have secured 80 plus percentage in their MBOSE Class XII Science Examinations but could secure only about 50 plus percentile in the said NEET Examinations due to the problems mentioned above. On the contrary, the CBSE students who might have secured low percentage marks in their Board’s Examination have somehow managed to score high percentile marks in the NEET because their courses are more suited to the NEET as mentioned earlier. At this rate most of our students will be eliminated from this race year after year and the future of our people will be doomed which is created both by design and circumstances.
It is time to awake and let our benign Government find out ways and means to help our young aspirants who are otherwise, eligible, to get admissions in the different medical courses in the country at least for this year and also to find out alternatives for the future as otherwise, we may be careening down the deep abyss below where we may have to surrender many of our allotted seats.
It is, therefore, suggested that at least for the present, the Government may:-
(i) Select the candidates for admissions to different medical courses in the country based on their percentage in their Class XII Science Examinations or,
(ii) Select the NEET passed candidates, while at the same time, keeping their percentage in the Class XII Science Examinations as primary consideration.
(iii) As a matter of fact, we are not against the introduction of the NEET, yet it is only right and proper that our students, be well-exposed and well-equipped to meet such eventualities and, for some more time, with due protection for SC/ ST/ OBC students.
The Government may, therefore, urgently explore possibilities for establishing high class coaching centres in the State at subsidized rates to help our students pass the NEET and other competitive examinations with high percentile marks. Or, the Government may introduce an additional subject in this connection, in Class XII Science to help our students in this respect.
We have to do something! .
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