Let states conduct their own medical entrance exams, feel experts
In the wake of the NEET scam, Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu has demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA) hand over the responsibility of conducting medical entrance examinations to the respective state governments, like earlier.
While speaking about the issue on the sidelines of an education fair he inaugurated in Kolkata recently, Basu also pointed out that no scams had occurred while the Bengal government had been conducting the medical joint entrance examination for the state’s medical colleges.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scam involves the leaking of the papers in Bihar, for which several examination candidates have been arrested by the Bihar police.
Many education experts too feel that the ideal way forward is letting the states hold their own medical entrance examinations.
As for admitting students from other states, state governments can allow non-state students to write the papers at centres in their state or arrange for the holding of the same examination in several other states simultaneously.
The top medical education institutes in the country like AIIMS, JIPMER and others, which have been declared as Institute of National Importance (INI) by the Union government, and which are naturally in high demand among students across the country, should be allowed to hold their own entrance examinations at centres across the country, like it was done earlier, feel the experts.
As a result of the NEET-UG examination paper leaks, grace marks had to be given to many of the students, which increased the totals of many and also led to much higher cut-offs, resulting in difficulties being faced by many students in gaining admission to institutes of their choice.
Despite demands from across the country by experts, students and parents of examinees, the Union government has till now refused to order an investigation by any of its agencies and is trying to wash its hands off the matter.
