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4 July 2024

AIPSN Statement on NEET

NEET-2024 (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-2024) has been under severe attack from all quarters, from public, educational to political. This year it was greatly exposed by its rigging, leaking and corruption and the future of 24 lakh students appeared for NEET is at stake. Over the years since its inception, it was opposed by Tamil Nadu Govt. as it was against the state’s autonomy, social justice, educational quality and healthcare system.

NEET was introduced in 2010 by the then Medical Council of India (MCI).  NEET replaced AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test) and other state-level examinations. NEET was initially proposed to take place from 2012 onwards. Following the announcement from the Medical Council of India that it would introduce the NEET-UG exam in 2012, several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, strongly opposed the change, stating that there was a huge variation in the syllabus proposed by the MCI and their state syllabi. The CBSE and MCI deferred NEET by a year.

But the test was later announced by the Government of India and was held for the first time on 5 May 2013 across India for students seeking admission for both undergraduate and postgraduate medicine.

The Supreme Court of India quashed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions into all medical and dental colleges on 18 July 2013. The apex court ruled that the Medical Council of India cannot conduct a unified examination.

The Medical Council of India has moved a Review Application before the Supreme Court against the Order dt. 18.07.2013 and the Bench consisting of 5 judges and presided over by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anil R. Dave who dissented in the main case has allowed the Review Application and recalled its Order dt. 18.07.2013 vide the Order of this Court dated 11.04.2016.

Subsequent to this, Sankalp Charitable Trust moved a Writ Petition before the Supreme Court seeking a Mandamus directing the Union of India to conduct NEET for admission to M.B.B.S. Course throughout the country for academic session 2016 – 2017. This case was heard by a three-member bench presided over by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anil R. Dave. The Respondent submitted that it is proposed to conduct NEET in pursuance of the Notification dated 21.12.2010. Based on this submission, Orders were passed on 28.04.2016 permitting the Union to Conduct NEET.

The reasons for conducting the NEET placed before all:

1) Admissions should be transparent.

2) Admissions should be based on merit.

3) There should be no mandatory donations.

4) Students should not have to take multiple entrance exams for the same course.

But what actually happened over the years:

1. Lakhs and lakhs of rupees have been spent by the aspirants to get coaching to appear before NEET. This is not possible for the poor and underprivileged who got admission earlier by their school marks. Nearly 20 students committed suicide in Tamil Nadu alone, though they got good marks at school level and not good score for admission through NEET.
2. Though admission was said to be merit based, students with a low score may get admission to private medical colleges as the poor who got eligible score marks for private colleges could not get admission because of high fees, though there were said to be no capitation fees.
3. It is pity that many students attempted NEET two to three times.
4. From the beginning, it was alleged that the NEET exam had no transparency and there were malpractices, and 2024-NEET proved that there was a question paper leak (supposed to be benefited by 40000 students), rigging and corruption to the tune of 30-40 lakhs per student who attempted malpractices.

AIPSN views the following as our concerns:

1. Since the NEET is the tool and gate way for entering medical education, students start preparing from 6^th std onwards, omitting the regular school subjects and not worried about +2 marks and found that even failed students in +2 get more NEET marks due to several years coaching for NEET which is not at all worthy for pursuing medical examination. It is pity that Dr.Radhakrishnan committee recommends 12 years of study is a must and enough for any higher education which is taken as “take it for granted’.
2. NEET exams being conducted on a different pattern, which indirectly compels students to go to coaching, where they have to pay a hefty sum which is many, many times higher than the application fee for so-called independent entrance examinations as fees and students who do not undergo coaching for NEET will suffer in exams and thus, there is no level playing field in centralised exams.
3. NEET was earlier conducted by CBSE and now it is conducted by NTA as per National Education Policy-2020. NTA is not an academic body to conduct entrance exams for Hr.education. NTA behaves like an employment recruitment agency.
4. Because of the nature of NTA, many foretold that it would lead to a scam and it happened in 2024 on a bigger scale. It is alleged that NTA itself indulged in scam by allowing grace marks for delayed exam which was not at all mentioned in the rules of examination-2024
5. The Union Govt stated that NEET was brought for transparent merit-based admissions and without mandatory donations to Private Medical Colleges and Universities. But both seem like mirages now.
6. Private Medical Institutions have raised their fees and other amenity fees which are not affordable to the poor and even to the middle class and are not joining, which has resulted in low score  admission and the very fact of merit-based admission being defeated.
7. Conducting centralized entrance exams is impractical in a multicultural society, imposing uniform rules in the conduction of exams (removal of ornaments including mangal sutra, hizab, safety pins used for safety dressing etc.,) which is a terrifying act  psychologically upsetting the students.
8. NTA not a professional body to conduct theses examinations should be withdrawn immediately.
9. AIPSN objects to intervening and preventing state autonomy in admission to higher education.
10. The 92nd Report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee – Health and Family Welfare was tabled in both the houses of parliament on March 8, 2016: Para 5.26: “The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government should move swiftly towards removing all the possible roadblocks to the Common Medical Entrance Test (CMET) including legal issues and immediately introduce the same to ensure that merit and not the ability to pay becomes the criterion for admission to medical colleges. The Committee also recommends that introduction of CMET should be done across the nation, barring those states who wish to remain outside the ambit of the CMET. However, if any such states wish to join the CMET later, there should be a provision to join it.
11. In a democratic – federal system, such a centralised system managed by a non-academic agency, can hardly function efficiently.
12. NEET is a complete failure, NEET is building a coaching industry, NEET discriminates against good students interested in medicine who want to serve the people of their states, NEET is devaluing school boards and NEET does not promote quality in education, be school education or medical education.

AIPSN rejects all kinds of centralized entrance examinations for any kind of state hr. education admissions including NEET, CUET, etc., .

• NEET is against federalism.
• NEET is against social justice.
• NEET contradicts the fundamental requirements of our constitution.
• To fulfill the needs of the medical aspirants and the demands of society, the union govt. may permit state medical colleges and medical college hospitals for every district of the state, which is deficient in many of the states.

Contact:

AIPSN General Secretary Ms. Asha Mishra

9425302012 gsaipsn@gmail.com

Prof. P. Rajamanickam, AIPSN Higher Education Desk Convnenor

968025569