Image used for representational purpose only. (Express Illustrations)
BENGALURU: With the National Board of Examinations (NBE) on Friday informing the Supreme Court that since more than 2 lakh candidates have registered for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) Post Graduate (PG) 2023, no alternative dates for the exam might be available in near future if it is postponed, students preparing for the exam are anxious about the ongoing discussions and protests regarding the postponement.
The discussion of postponing the exam has been gaining traction ever since the exam dates were announced in January.
Initially, the students had protested, demanding that the internship dates be extended from March 31, 2023, as many students would be ineligible for the exam. Later, based on the demand, the Union Health Ministry revised the internship dates till August 11.
The NBE order said, “Initially, when the cut off date of the exam was March 31, more than 2 lakh students had already registered without any objection. Surprisingly, after the extension, only 5,000 additional applications were received.” Hence, the board officials concluded that deferring the exam will not be ideal as the 2 lakh students will suffer as they have been preparing for the exam.
The Andhra Pradesh high court has been hearing a case regarding the issue. Students complained there was no proper clarification regarding the dates, and the issue has been trending on social media. Students are worried about how well they can be prepared, a post-intern PG student said, adding that the counselling process will start only in August once the internships are over. Many interns, who have finished early, will have to wait for five months for the counselling process, and will be unable to work as no hospital would hire them for such a short time, she said.
