Pune: Courts shut for summer break, deferring NEET unlikely

In Pune, all private medical colleges have scrapped their exams and at the state-level, the director of medical education and research (DMER), Dr Pravin Shingare, admits that their review petition challenging the Supreme Court ruling may not come up for hearing soon.

WITH COURTS closing from mid May, chances are slim that there could be any further intervention on deferring the National Eligibility Entrance Examination (NEET) till next year. In Pune, all private medical colleges have scrapped their exams and at the state-level, the director of medical education and research (DMER), Dr Pravin Shingare, admits that their review petition challenging the Supreme Court ruling may not come up for hearing soon.

“This is a legal battle that the state is undertaking,” Shingare said, adding, it was likely that the petition will be taken up after the vacation break. At DY Patil deemed university, which has 14 centres across the country, including one medical college (250 seats) in Pimpri, their separate common entrance test on May 14 has been cancelled.

Resident docs’ body demands a common syllabus

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), on their part, has registered an official grievance with the Prime Minister asking for a common basic syllabus based on Std XII portion. “The Supreme Court decision to conduct NEET this year has come as a huge surprise. The proposed NEET is based on CBSE syllabus and is different from other respective states’ syllabi. Hence, we are demanding a common basic syllabus,” Dr Sagar Mundada, President of state unit of MARD said.

We have also urged the medical education minister, Vinod Tawde, to urgently take measures and regulate the coaching classes that are charging exorbitant fees from students, said Mundada. Meanwhile 200 students have already signed up an online petition demanding a common basic syllabus for NEET that should be based on Std XII portion.

Plans for vacation abroad cancelled, back to studying

For parents of children who had just taken the state Common Entrance Test (CET) on May 5, the Supreme Court’s ruling has put a spanner on their holiday plans. Dr Suresh Jain, gastroenterologist, said his daughter is depressed and is failing to keep her focus. “We were confident about the MHT-CET exam and had booked tickets for a short vacation to Hong Kong after the exam. But now, we will have to cancel the tickets,” Dr Jain said. For Dr Sanjay Lalwani, paediatrician, whose nephew appeared for MHT-CET, the SC ruling has stalled their vacation plans. “We were going for a short holiday to Germany. Now, my nephew will have to stay back and join coaching classes ahead of NEET,” he said.

‘NEET is a bold step’

The ‘National Coalition for Reforms and restructuring of Medical Council of India’- a group of several networks of rational, ethical doctors and civil society—has taken strong notice of the statement by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu in which he has said the government will move the Supreme Court for deferring the NEET by one year.

This is a pressure tactic by the private medical colleges and other interested parties who want the capitation fee to continue, a statement issued by Dr G. S. Grewal (President- Punjab Medical Council),Dr Samiran Nundy (Senior Surgeon and member of ‘Indian Doctors for ethical practice’), Dr Arun Mitra (Chairperson, Ethics Committee, Punjab Medical Council), Dr K.V. Babu (Activist in Kerala and member of ‘Indian Doctors for ethical practice’), Dr Abhay Shukla (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan) and others has said. “NEET is a bold step to end the admission to the medical colleges using corrupt means and money power. The students getting admission in some states on the basis of 10+2 exam result will not be affected as NEET will be an equal play for all the students of that particular state,” the statement added.

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