It's NEET but now students have only one shot: Dr G Sridhar

Following the Centre’s ordinance on the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges, private college managements under the COMEDK banner, have decided that they will not part with seats under the state government quota, a practice that was in vogue under an agreement during the old CET-COMEDK regime.

That means, now, 85 per cent of seats in private medical and dental colleges in the state will be filled on the basis of the national merit list from the NEET, and high-paying NRI students will fill the remaining 15 percent of seats.

Thus, this year, the CET will be valid only for seats in 15 government medical colleges and two dental colleges in the state. Private college managements insist that since they come under the NEET system rightaway, the old agreement on seat sharing with the state government is invalid.  

The confusion arising out of all this is worrying Dr. G. Sridhar, founder of Ace Creative Learning, just like it is worrying thousands of students and parents.
“The entire episode has been very unfortunate. It still continues to be. This year as a whole has been worrisome for students.

First came the II PU paper leak. Now they are bogged down with entrance exam issues. It is high time the government said to itself ‘We cannot fiddle with the future of our children’ and came up with a solution,” Sridhar said in a conversation with Deccan Chronicle.

The sudden announcements by ComedK that they would not give seats under the government quota has left everyone even more confused, he says, adding, “As a parent, I am very confused. After all, there are students banking on CET, ComedK. Before they make such decisions, there must be some form of discussion and dialogue with the government that takes the best interest of the students into account.”

“I personally feel the old structure was a good arrangement. The break up of 50 percent seats through CET, 35 percent through NEET, which was previously through COMED-K, and 15 percent for NRIs, should have continued".

Sridhar, himself an IITian, has a point when he says that while NEET will standardise the seat allocation process in private colleges and reduce corruption in the whole process, it will deprive students of the multiple chances they had at securing a medical seat earlier.  

“There are students who study hard for two long years to clear the medical entrance exams. If NEET is the only gateway to a good college, it means the student has only one shot at it. When there was CET and ComedK, students had multiple chances. If one could not make it through CET, she could try ComedK. Now, private colleges are refusing to allot any seat under the government quota to Karnataka students”, worries Sridhar.

“One also has to understand that the expenses are huge in running a medical college as they do not get any subsidy. The government should take all these issues under consideration, discuss them with all stakeholders and come out with a solution that is in the best interest of the students,” he says. Will that ever happen?