Since its introduction in 2013, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has been hotly debated. This year too, counselling for Tamil Nadu’s medical seats has faced repeated delays. Aspiring medical students now find themselves in limbo. While some in the state favour the NEET, others challenge it, and prefer that Class XII marks be used for admission instead. Meanwhile, counselling for the All India quota seats is in its final stages. A closer look below.
- NEET (UG) = National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate)
- To determine admission to MBBS/BDS courses nation-wide
- Based on CBSE syllabus, but 90% of TN students are from State Board
- For All India Quota seats, counselling is by the Directorate General of Health Services, Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)
- Independent counselling for seats under the control of States/universities
- States to prepare their own merit lists, based on the All India Rank
What’s at stake?
NEET 2017 Tamil paper markedly easier than the English/Hindi papers?
TN State Board students considered to be unprepared to tackle the CBSE syllabus-based NEET 2017
TN yet to publish State merit list, while All India quota counselling ends soon; counselling at neighbouring states is under way
If exemption is granted, TN’s CBSE students and/or those who have performed well in the NEET will be losing out
Engineering admission in the state is also affected due to delayed medical counselling
Status as of August 17
Supreme Court has asked TN government and Medical Council India to balance between students who got through NEET, and students unequipped for it
Timeline
May 7 – NEET (UG) 2017 is held
May 24 – Madras High Court restrains CBSE from publishing results, in view of differences between English and Tamil question papers (Tamil papers were thought to be vastly easier)
June 8 – CBSE’s planned release date for NEET 2017 results
June 9 – CBSE challenges High Court order; moves Supreme Court seeking stay of the High court order
June 12 – Supreme Court asks CBSE to publish results; puts stay on High Court order
June 23 – CBSE releases All India Rank list
July 3 – NEET counselling by MCC for All India Quota seats begins
July 15 – MCC publishes All India counselling round 1 results
August 3 – TN Health Minister C Vijayabaskar meets PM; requests for exemption from using NEET for admission (to use Class XII marks instead)
August 8 – MCC publishes All India counselling round 2 results
August 13 – TN to be exempted from NEET for 2017 government college admissions, assures Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
August 14 – TN government submits ordinance to secure the exemption
August 16 – Vacant All India quota seats transferred to State quotas
August 16 – Union Law Ministry clears TN’s ordinance
August 16 – SC agrees to hear TN students’ petition for starting state counselling based only on NEET marks
August 17 – SC bars medical admissions in TN until August 22
Sources
http://cbseneet.nic.in
http://www.mcc.nic.in