Bills passed, NEET must from next year

Next academic year will see admission to medical and dental courses through a single common entrance test as Parliament on Monday approved two significant bills providing for putting NEET in place.

Union health and family welfare minister J.P. Nadda told Rajya Sabha that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is designed to curb corruption by bringing in transparency, checking multiplicity of exams and to stop exploitation of students in counselling. All examinations to private colleges will also be conducted under NEET Mr Nadda said.

The comments came during a discussion on the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and The Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The two bills — which were approved by the Lok Sabha earlier — were passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote.

Except the AIADMK most parties supported the government move to have NEET. Arguing that it will affect rural students who do not study CBSE syllabus the AIADMK opposed it and staged a walkout.

Mr Nadda said, “National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is intended to check multiplicity of exams. To bring transparency to curb corruption and to stop the exploitation of students during counselling.” He pointed out that now students would not have to travel long distances to appear for several medical entrance examinations.

Clarifying on the apprehensions expressed by some members regrding the state quota, he said “We are not going to touch the state quota. We will give the name, ranking, domicile and percentile. Now it is for the state governemnts to decide and give extra marks and give admissions to reserved categories.”

Mr Nadda said the exam will be held on the basis of the syllabus of NCERT and the under-graduate exam will be taken up by CBSE and post-graduation by the national board of examination.

“Concerns of the state governments will be addressed. We will do standardisation of syllabus so that rural students can also be taken care of. Tests will also be conducted in regional languages,” Nadda said.

The NEET is intended to be introduced from the academic year 2017-18. The Bills seek to amend the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and the Dentists Act, 1948 and replace the Ordinances that were promulgated by the government to circumvent the Supreme Court order for implementation of NEET examination this session itself.