NEET 2017: NEW CONDITIONS spark another debate Vijay Garg
Ferozepur, January 31, 2017 : A year after its stormy debut, NEET has once again sparked a debate among medical aspirants and parents. This time it is the introduction of a cap on the number of attempts and the upper age limit.The University Grants Commission last week said that students would be allowed to take the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) only thrice, that too until the age of 25. No such conditions existed earlier. While the government is yet to bring out a notification on the new changes, the decision has evoked mixed reactions.
"The age criterion is a positive step but why discriminate between reserved and open category [The age limit for the reserved category is 30]," said Vijay Garg a member of Mission 2017, a forum comprising parents of NEET aspirants.
A student is eligible for NEET at 17, after Class XII and if that student makes continuous attempts, he or she would become ineligible for test after 20. This, according to Garg, is unreasonable as the students have eight years between 17 and 25.
"Five attempts per candidate is a reasonable figure," He said.
Some parents say students continue to take the entrance test to secure a seat in a government-run medical college where fees are much lower. "Exorbitant fees charged by private medical colleges and deemed universities deter us from opting for them as we cannot cough up fees that run into lakhs," said a student who is preparing for NEET.
Those who could not get admission last year are under tremendous pressure to make it through this time, said Vijay Garg, whose Son is preparing for a second attempt. He said his son could not secure admission last year because of the chaos that ensued after the Supreme Court made NEET mandatory for all institutes in the country.
Move will curb fraud, cheating
But some parents, officials and people from the field of education feel the cap on attempts and age will bring down cases of fraud and cheating.
This year, nearly 4 lakh students are expected to take NEET, which will be held on May 7.
