Karnataka not ready for NEET

BANGALORE: Following the proposal by the Medical Council of India (MCI) for a single-window National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses from 2012, senior academicians from the field of medical education have decreed that Karnataka is not yet prepared for the implementation of NEET. Taking this resolution at a round table discussion organised by the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat on Saturday, Dr K S Sriprakash, Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), observed that there were issues that need to be looked at before the implementation of NEET. “It is indeed an important issue. With almost 80% of students coming from a rural background, will it be right on our part to have them write NEET which is based on CBSE/ICSE syllabus? Also, we need to determine whether medical education comes under the purview                    of the State or Centre,”                                 he said. Dr Kumar S, Principal and Dean, M S Ramaiah Medical College, said, “This is a time when academicians, registrars and policymakers do not decide education policies. It is the courts. Some of our neighbouring states have already stayed the implementation of NEET,” enquiring if a single test would help subsidising medical education to students. The question of a clear admission policy post NEET was also frowned upon. Dr Ramananda Shetty, former V-C, RGUHS, said that conducting counselling sessions would be a challenge at the Centre. “If there is a centralised exam, imagine counselling around 12 lakh students. Is there a clear policy as to how the Centre would go about it? It is about delivering social justice,” he asked. While some of the representatives were positive about a single entrance test system, which would possibly help the State monitor medical education better and that it would make simple for students by reducing the number of entrance tests, worries about fee structure and overall implementation reigned ground. “The fee structure is a worrisome factor. It should be realistic and affordable. NEET is good, but distribution of seats has to be  carefully done,” added Dr  Sriprakash.