NEET: Roll back age and attempt criterias, students protest

Opinions are divided over the introduction of the two new criteria.

According to RTI activist Dr Anand Rai, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should not have introduced the new criteria now. “There are many who have prepared for a year for the entrance examination and have suddenly become ineligible to apply. We are not against the new rules but the announcement should have been made a year ago,” said Rai who is also the whistleblower for Vyapam case.

CBSE will conduct NEET for admission in undergraduate courses on May 7, 2017. NEET was introduced last year for admission to MBBS/BDS courses in all medical/dental colleges.

Twenty-one-year old medical aspirant Ankita Singh has appeared thrice and is now ineligible to apply for NEET 2017. “This overnight rule is unexpected. If they had such plans, they should have announced it earlier. I have been preparing for medical exam for past four years. I left Indore and went to Kota for better coaching. My parents have spent over 10 lakh on my studies. Now I am clueless,” she said.

Read |  NEET 2017 to be counted as first attempt, CBSE clarifies

In Bhubaneshwar, Kanpur and other cities, students are taking out rallies demanding to reconsider the new move. The social networking sites are flooded with posts appealing to the government to roll back the age and attempt criteria.

While a majority of teachers and students are favouring the age criteria bracket, they are unhappy at the restrictions on attempts. Dr Nithin PS of Venper Academy feels the government should increase the number of attempts as age itself is an important criteria. “MBBS is over five-year long course, therefore, you have to give chances to young students. But the government should increase the number of attempts,” says he.

However, Aakash Chaudhry, Director, Aakash Educational Institutes feels this new move will keep students focused on their goal and encourage them to crack the exam in one single attempt. “Additional two attempts should be looked as a means to improve score for a better choice of college rather than for selection. This will restrain them from wasting money on repeated attempts and preparation for the same,” he said.

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