Verdict on NEET

Why in news?

The Madras High court quashed the Tamil Nadu Government’s Order that provides 85% reservation in State Quota seats for students from State Board schools.

How admission for medical college is being done?

• The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is an entrance exam for any graduate and postgraduate medical course in India.  
• Medical colleges in a particular state have 85% seats reserved for the native students and 15% (All India Quote) seats for the students from other states.
• For instance, a student from Delhi wants to pursue MBBS from a college in Mumbai, he would be choosing from from 15% seats of total seats of that college.

What is the Tamil Nadu government’s stand?

• Tamil Nadu had abolished entrance tests in 2006.
• Since then has been admitting students based on their marks in the qualifying school examination.
• The State government still opposes NEET exam.
• Two Bills had been passed in the State Assembly exempting students from Tamil Nadu from the exam. The bills were awaiting President’s assent.
• In Tamil Nadu, around 88,000 students had appeared for NEET, of which only 4,600 were from the CBSE.
• According to the government, if a NEET-based merit list is drawn up, 72% of medical seats in government colleges and government quota seats in private colleges would go to CBSE school students.
• So the State government notified an order providing 85% reservation in the UG medical seats available in the State quota to the students from State Board syllabus and 15% to students from other boards.
• The NEET might be beyond the potential for students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds.
• There is a concern that the government may not get committed doctors to serve in rural areas if most of the seats are cornered by CBSE students.

What was the court’s rationale?

• The Madras High court quashed the Tamil Nadu Government’s Order that provides 85% reservation in State Quota seats for students from State Board schools.
• The petitioner submitted that powers to regulate admission to medical courses lie exclusively with the Medical Council of India (MCI) as per the provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act.
• The MCI has stipulated that admissions to medical courses shall be based on the marks obtained in NEET.
• The merit list prepared on the basis of such marks, and it does not distinguish between students from the CBSE and State Boards.

What is the way ahead?

• In a country with regional, economic and linguistic disparities, uniformity is no virtue.
• The political leadership at the Centre as well as in the States would do well to work together to evolve a flexible admission policy
• At the same time fairness, transparency and freedom from exploitation in admissions should be achieved.

Source: The Hindu