NEET . Reloaded, and The War Begins

The Supreme Court had, in June 2013, had ruled that the Medical Council of India (MCI)'s notification for holding common entrance tests for MBBS, BDS and post-graduate medical courses as invalid. A three-judge bench by a 2:1 verdict held that the notification was against the Constitution.

The court had ruled that the MCI did not have the jurisdiction to enforce common entrance test (CET) on private medical colleges and that the move could also violate constitutional guarantee to minority communities to establish and manage their own educational institutions.
MCI clears joint medical test proposal, ball in govt court
MCI had opposed the verdict and had moved the court for a review.
Apart from students being forced to cough up thousands towards the fee for appearing in multiple exams and travel expenses, many students are robbed of the opportunity to stake admission claim to different colleges, an MCI official said.
Over 90 medical entrance tests are held across India.

SC allows common entrance test for medical courses, recalls its 2013 order.

The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for implementation of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses across the country.
The top court set aside its 2013 order by which the common entrance test for admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges was quashed.
Hearing a review petition on NEET, the top court said it will hear the case afresh on validity of the common entrance test. “Till the matter is decided NEET can be implemented,” the top court said.

Dr Rajashree Khot, from Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, said, “On one hand, NEET would judge students on a common platform, common syllabus, having more transparency and less corruption, especially with regard to private medical colleges. On the other hand, implementation would be difficult since rural students would lag in it, and it would be an all or none phenomena. I think students should have only two entrance exams; one at national and one at state level.”

Dr Sajal Mitra from Government Medical College said, “We should have one system, which is NEET, so that medical education is uniform across the country. Second point is that this will cut down on the number of exams a student appears for and help in promoting merit.”

Dr Abhishek Sambre said, “A common medical entrance exam for entire nation is a fantastic thing but the only thing is that decisions must be implemented properly. Changes should not be made at the last moment since students need a lot of time to prepare. Also, changes should not be made often since they have a detrimental effect on the kids as preparation for such exams takes almost two years.”

Dr Atul Shringarpure said, “It’s a good decision since this will not only give a better chance to students to study further, but will also provide a level playing field for all students. This will help students who were working hard but not financially well off.” Dr Ashish Anwikar said, “It is definitely a good decision, but I feel our state’s students will lose out on good seats here. At least through the state MH-CET our students got majority of the seats, but now it will be shared with others.”

When Medical Council of India (MCI) conducted NEET for the first time, Maharashtra too joined in and stopped its MH-CET. State’s Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) conducted a state specific test again in 2014, after the SC stayed NEET.

After Monday’s decision by SC, it is still extremely unlikely that NEET will be held in 2017. Hearing MCI’s review petition on NEET, the top court said it will hear the case afresh on validity of the common entrance test. “Till the matter is decided, NEET can be implemented,” the top court said.

The Supreme Court had in June 2013 ruled that the MCI notification for holding common entrance tests for MBBS, BDS and postgraduate medical courses was invalid. A three-judge bench by a 2:1 verdict held that the notification was against the Constitution. The court had ruled that MCI did not have the jurisdiction to enforce CET on private medical colleges and that the move could also violate constitutional guarantee to minority communities to establish and manage their own educational institutions.

What’s the uproar about and who’s opposing the NEET?

State governments believed that NEET infringed upon their right to keep education a State subject.

Several points of contention have been raised — the important ones being its viability and the impact on students from different educational backgrounds.

When the exam was first introduced in 2012, several States, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, opposed it. These State governments believed that it infringed upon their right to keep education a State subject.

Following the objection, the Supreme Court, in a 2013 judgment, held that NEET would deprive State-run universities and medical colleges of their right to admit students as per their own procedures and declared the test unconstitutional.

Many private colleges in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had filed petitions in various High Courts, seeking exemption from using the exam as one of the criteria for admissions.

A common exam sounds like a good idea, so why oppose something that standardises the procedure?

Students in Tamil Nadu who seek admission to MBBS course are admitted on the basis of their 12th standard final examination marks. A similar criterion is followed in Kerala as well. These States believe that there’s a huge difference, in terms of content, in the State and Central Board’s syllabus.

Last month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to direct the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to withdraw the review petition filed in the Supreme Court.

The Chief Minister said the NEET “would adversely affect the interests of students in the State, in particular those from weaker sections and from rural areas and as it infringes upon the State’s right to determine the admission policies to medical educational institutions.”

The MCI wants it, some States don’t. What is the latest on the issue? What is the way forward?

The apex court has said its 2013 judgment — that made NEET invalid — requires re-consideration but has remained non-committal on the specifics. It said: “We do not propose to state reasons in detail at this stage so it may not prejudicially affect the hearing”

The Health Ministry has said that it will hold NEET for PG medical course admission this November.
Following the order, the Health Ministry has said that it will hold NEET for PG medical course admission this November. Reports suggest that the Ministry is also considering postponing entrance exams for undergraduate courses, scheduled for May 1, by two months.

How have the States responded to the recent order? And how many private colleges will be affected by the ruling?

Maharashtra: The State has requested the Indian Medical Council not to conduct the admissions to medical and dental courses through NEET and instead continue with MH-CET this year. Medical Education Minister Vinod Tawde said: “Since the NEET is based on CBSE syllabus, the government will have to upgrade its HSC syllabus and then Maharashtra can join the NEET from 2017.”

Tamil Nadu: The government is expected to move court again, opposing the recent order. Nearly 80 private colleges conduct their own medical entrance exams for admissions.

Who’s in favour of the new structure?

The MCI is of the opinion that the NEET would avoid multiple entrance tests and minimise corruption and irregularities in admissions to medical courses.

The IMA has welcomed the apex court’s decision, saying it will help safeguard the sanctity of the medical profession.

Can I raise a question .Though a bit out of context.
You know most states have different course duration.
Eventhough it shud be 4.5+1year internship there are differences among states ,call it lag or whatever.So those who get admission in the same year in different parts of the country pass out at entirely different times.There is even 1 year difference between the institutes and some states.Do u think just neet will be a justice in that case.I think there shud be state entrance to take care of this difference or MCI shud first unify the course duratio strictly(thats impossible in the near future)
What do u think people?