Context:
- The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) failed to harmonise the qualifying exam, making it fair while rewarding the brightest.
- NEET is seen as elitist, favouring the rich, urban families.
Reasons for getting NEET pattern of examination:
- Extortionist policies of private medical colleges
- Students are admitted on their ability to pay rather than commitment to the profession
- Weakening standards of high school education
- Over 30 entrance tests for students to gain admission, making it highly iniquitous and stressful.
Reasons for huge protest against NEET:
- Wide variance in standards between the CBSE and the SSC
- CBSE syllabus focuses on science and math and encourages thinking
- State boards focus on the rote method of learning and liberal arts, worsened by the non-availability of science, english and math teachers in rural areas.
- The gap has widened further with most competitive exams based on CBSE
- It implicitly denying students from rural areas and poor families access to professional education.
- NEET was based on a CBSE plus standard, compelling even the bright CBSE students to take recourse to expensive tutorials for cracking the exam
- In pursuing “high standards”, it is apprehended that the IIT phenomenon may be getting repeated.
- Under the highly competitive IIT system, the majority are in the US or multinational companies and a handful in rural areas or government.
Way forward:
- Enforce an acceptable standard of school education, making entrance examinations unnecessary.
- Till that happens, the NEET must harmonise the test keeping in mind the syllabus of what is taught in state high schools and the CBSE in order to provide a level playing field to all aspirants.
- Revive the old system of pre medical course
- Medical students can be taught for one or two years basic sciences and brought on par with the knowledge levels required for medical education.
- Given our commitment to cooperative federalism, allow states to have their own admission policies
- But make an All India Licence Examination for registration with the MCI mandatory for those wanting to study or practise in other states or go abroad , alongside instituting the National Exit Examination.
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