Even as the NEET issue has given sleepless nights to lakhs of students and their parents, NGOs and resident doctors say that it is in the best interest of the student community and will act as a deter
Even as the NEET issue has given sleepless nights to lakhs of students and their parents, NGOs and resident doctors say that it is in the best interest of the student community and will act as a deterrent against commercialisation of medical and dental education.
Despite their apparently harsh stance, the NGOs and doctors have sympathised with the students and have said that the ministers who will meet in Delhi on Monday should come out with a solution that will safeguard the spirit of the Supreme Court decision as well as the interests of the students.
Jayant Jain, president of Forum for Fairness in Education, said, “It is a good decision as it is intended to weed out corrupt practices and put an end to unfair means being adopted in the admission process by private colleges.”
Dr Sagar Mundada, president of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, concurred with Mr Jain and said that the SC decision would have a positive impact in the years to come. “Students aspiring to secure a seat in medical and dental colleges this year will be the worst hit but one has to accept some collateral damage for the larger good. Aspiring students need to be stronger and face it as a challenge rather than complaining about the injustice being dished out to them. When they start practicing the profession they will be faced with more adverse challenges,” said Dr Mundada, citing instances wherein currently doctors specialising in one field are made to do duties for other fields of specialisation.
Both Dr Mundada and Mr Jain however said that the meeting of medical education ministers with Union health minister J.P. Nadda in Delhi on Monday should come up with a balanced solution.
“We have suggested that a uniform syllabus based on the courses being taught by all states in class XII should be prepared for the second phase of NEET,” said Dr Mundada.
Mr Jain agreed and said that the government should ensure that the students do not get exploited by coaching and preparatory classes and welcomed the announcement by medical education minister Vinod Tawde of airing CBSE syllabus-based lectures on Doordarshan and other channels regularly.
Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray will meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis Monday morning requesting him to take up the issue of NEET personally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
