The decision of Center came as a silver lining to the students of NIOS because now they can appear for NEET 2018. Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare has opposed the MCI’s proposal to prohibit National Institute of Open Schooling students from taking the only medical entrance examination in India.
Medical Council of India proclaimed that the students from NIOS cannot match the level of the regular school student and hence should not be allowed to appear for the exam. It further explained that there is no practical component in the curriculum of NIOS due to which the student is not capable enough.
The proposal quickly turned into a moot among the students and authorities. While mostly termed the notion illogical, MCI ignored the fact that in 2012 hearing, it gave NIOS approval to participate in NEET with the existing curriculum.
As per the report by the Indian Express, in a meeting, MHRD told Health Ministry that implementation of the proposal is against the government policy for equal learning and career opportunities. It further stressed that NIOS is also a national board and the students from the Board should be treated at par with the regular students.
Ministry openly accepted the fact that students who fail class XII or get compartment choose NIOS to pass but this is no reason to not let them appear for NEET. Expert around the nation also argued that MCI might believe that the NIOS student enjoys privilege but at least let them appear for the exam. If a student is not worth it, he/she will not be able to qualify. As simple as that.
As per the official statistics, last year, 2 lakh candidates appeared for NIOS exam and of these, 3000 applied for NEET. Among the total NIOS students, 864 did qualify National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Examination. This is a clear indication that students from the open board can also do good.
The human tendency to generalize is common but generalize at what stake? The future of medical students has been in turmoil for long. Now, discriminating on the basis of Board is as unjust as it sounds. What is your take on the matter? Was MCI right or MHRD has taken correct step by reversing the decision of the council? Let us know, in the comment section below.
P.S: The notice of NEET 2018 is expected to be available by the end of January 2018. The exam will be held on May 06, 2018, which is the first Sunday of the month. The application for NEET 2018 will release at cbseneet.nic.in. Students can only fill and submit it online and Aadhaar Card will be a mandatory requirement to apply. So do keep it ready. Good Luck for the exams!
