Revoke NEET ban on open schoolers

The Medical Council of India's (MCI) decision to bar open school students from appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is unfair and unreasonable. NEET is the entrance test for undergraduate medical courses conducted by the CBSE. Its regulations are framed by the MCI. Lakhs of students from different education boards take the test after their Class 12 or equivalent examinations. Thousands of students from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in various parts of the country have also taken the test in the past. Many of them have qualified. Though the number of students affected by the MCI's decision may not be very large, the issue is not one of numbers but of justice and principle. The sudden decision to bar the NIOS students is wrong and unjustified. The MCI had specifically issued a notification in 2012 declaring open school students eligible for admission to MBBS courses. Students who joined the NIOS course on the basis of this notification will now be left high and dry. If at all the students have to be barred from the test, it should be from the year 2020 at the earliest, so that students are aware of it when they join the Class 12 course this year.  

The MCI has cited the absence of classroom training and practical examination in the curriculum of NIOS students as the reason for the bar. But this was the position in 2012 also. It should be noted that the Union health ministry has recognised the NIOS course as a qualification equivalent to Class 12 after discussion with the CBSE and the human resources development ministry. Many open school students who have prepared for NEET are naturally upset and some despair that two years of their lives would now be lost. That will be gross injustice. It is also felt that the MCI's decision would push open schoolers towards the dummy school culture with its attendant malpractices, wherein they could pay and obtain false affiliation to private schools.  

The health ministry has asked the MCI to reconsider its decision. The MCI has said that its executive committee had taken a collective decision on the matter, but it would be ready to discuss it again. It should withdraw its unjust decision and spare the students and their parents unnecessary stress and tension. The decision will certainly be challenged in courts if it is not withdrawn. It is also pointed out that the MCI's contention that the NIOS is not following a regular curriculum is wrong. It gives regular classes over the weekends in schools for a low fee and is doing good educational work. It should actually be encouraged.