All eyes are set on National Testing Agency (NTA), which is yet to announce exam dates for national level entrance exams like National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. While, NTA is mum, states and institutes have been making significant changes. Shaheen Educational Institute in Bidar is offering scholarships to flood and COVID-affected students who are preparing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) 2021. The scholarships is worth a total of Rs. 5 crore and will be awarded to around 2000 students.
Abdul Qadeer, charman of Shaheen Group of Institutions said that the floods and COVID-19 pandemic has affected the preparation and efforts of talented students because of which they couldn’t secure their desired rank in NEET 2020. Parents of such students do not have the financially ability to fund another year for preparations for NEET 2021. So, the institution has decided to fund such students and free NEET coaching shall be provided to those who have lost their parents due to the pandemic.
The Chairman has also cited that scholarships shall be offered in all the 42 institutions across the country with a preference given to Kannada-medium students. Institution management shall be looking for students’ ranking in NEET 2020 as well as their financial conditions. Interested aspirants are instructed to register on shaheengroup.org by November 25, 2020 to apply for the scholarship.
Other than this, Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Tamil Nadu has given a nod to the 7.5% quota for state’s government school students who have qualified NEET 2021 for admission to medical colleges. Governor’s assent was given just after the bill was unanimously passed in the parliament.
Tamil Nadu Governor gave his approval for 7.5% quota a day after the AIADMK-led state government issued an order to implement the bill’s provisions before the admission process of medical colleges begin. This was an executive order issued by bypassing the Governor of the state.
The newly established law provides an opportunity to nearly 300 NEET-qualified students to secure admission in both private and state-run medical colleges from the 2020-21 academic year itself. These 300 students shall mostly belong to economically marginalised and under-privileged families who cannot fund medical college fees due to financial disability.
The AIADMK-led state government had earlier sought exemption from NEET 2020. Previously, the government had barred the exam and had granted admissions to students purely on the basis of class 12 board examination marks. However, as the education ministry decided to make NEET mandatory, the state government had no choice but to abide. However, to tackle the COVID19 pandemic and ease the financial condition of students, authorities shall implement the 7.5% quota law for admissions to medical colleges for the current academic year.
