NEET: Health dept officials to conduct meeting today

The future of around 60,000-65,000 medical aspirants from West Bengal hangs in a balance after the Supreme Court has on Monday ruled in favour of implementing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) throughout the country.

NEET is the national level entrance examination which was held in the country in 2013 and later the examination was scrapped by the Supreme Court. Senior health department officials in the state have called a high level meeting at the Swasthya Bhawan on Tuesday to discuss the next course 

of action.

The principal secretary health, director of medical education would be present in the meeting along with the principals of various medical colleges in the state. They would decide if there is an option open before the state. A senior health department official however said that: “We are helpless. We are yet to go through the court order and then take the final decision.”

The Centre government  and Medical Council of India who were trying to reintroduce the national level entrance examinations had filed a review petition in the Apex court.

Various states and Universities also moved the court urging not to allow NEET for certain obvious reasons.  

The three judge Bench in the Supreme Court on April 28 had issued an order saying that NEET would be held in two phases. As per the order NEET I was held on May 1 on the same when the AIPMT was scheduled to take place, while NEET phase II is scheduled to take place on July 24.

But various states including West Bengal appealed the court for the reconsideration of the judgment as the students from various states would not get enough time for preparation for the NEET the syllabus of which is entirely different.

They also urged the Apex court so that it clears the state level entrance examination for this year.

As per Monday’s order no states can hold their individual entrance examinations. Despite of their pleas the Apex court has ruled against holding the state joint entrance examinations. The states said that the candidates from the state would face difficulties for various reasons. If the NEET would be implemented from the next academic year the medical aspirants in the state would get enough time to make themselves aware of the NEET syllabus.

The decision comes as a shock to the medical aspirants in the state as it would be very difficult task to prepare themselves for the NEET II, scheduled to take place on July 24.

Students from the various regional board students will face difficulties as NEET 2016 will be done in English and Hindi. But in 2013, NEET was conducted in six regional languages, viz. Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu and Assamese besides Hindi and English.