Health Ministry to review NEET again

The Common Entrance Test (CET) for under graduate medical students, scrapped by the Supreme Court, could yet again be revived. The health ministry is considering to make the test mandatory by incorporating it in the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act. Earlier, following protests by private medical colleges, the SC had scrapped the CET in July last year. The court on July 18 quashed the Medical Council of India’s (MCI’s) notification calling that the MCI did not have mandate to conduct NEET for medicine, dentistry and post-graduate medical courses. The Union health ministry had later sought review of the SC judgement on National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test for medical courses, which was accepted by the court and notices were served to the respondents. Even as the ministry awaits the final verdict, it is considering to incorporate it in the act, making it mandatory for the colleges to conduct the common test. An expert committee working on the reforms on medical education, formed by Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, has also recommended to fix a minimum pass percentage too. The ministry is now expected to approach the Cabinet so that the changes can be made in the existing act. According to the sources, the move will improve the quality of medical education, make it easier for the medical students. “The students have to unnecessarily hop from one college to another for giving tests in a hope to get admission. This will end this menace, saving their time and money,” said a senior official.

In year 2012, the MCI had notified NEET. The NEET UG was conducted by CBSE while the NEET PG, a computer based test, was conducted by National Board of Examination (NBE). However, the SC in July last year in a “split judgement” decided to scrap both NEET UG and PG. More than 6,00,000 under graduate medical students appeared for CET and 95,000 medical doctors appeared for the first ever Common Entrance test for post-graduate medical students. The NEET-PG was an eligibility examination prescribed as a single window entrance examination to all MD/MS/Post Diploma courses in the country, replacing other examinations like All-India Post Graduate Entrance Examination.

 

harshvardhan

Via : Asianage

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