MPs concerned about future of students evacuated from Ukraine
Amid demands that medical students who returned from war-hit Ukraine be accommodated in Indian medical schools reverberated in Parliament, Trinamool Congress MP Nadimul Haque raised concerns over lower qualifying marks for NEET to expand the pool of students who can afford over Rs 1 crore as fees.
As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to make a statement on Tuesday in Parliament on Ukraine-Russia war and steps taken by the government to evacuate Indians from the warzone, several MPs talked about the uncertainty faced by students who returned in completing their medical education and the chances of them running into debt trap due to loans taken for their education.
Raising the issue as a Special Mention in Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour, Haque said the Russia-Ukraine conflict has "exposed the inefficiency plaguing" the Indian medical education system as the sheer number of Indian students pursuing medical education abroad has become apparent.
He said the medical education in India is "unaffordable and competitive", forcing aspirants from lower and middle income families to pursue medicine in countries where it is cheaper and less competitive.
"Fee charged in India, on an average, ranges from Rs 14 lakh in government colleges to about Rs 60-70 lakhs in private colleges. Additionally, it is alleged, the qualifying marks for NEET are kept low at 19% to expand the pool of students who can afford fees as high as Rs 1.25-1.5 crore. This acts as a filter forcing poorer but meritorious students to seek education abroad, following which they are required to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduation Examination to practise medicine in India," he said.
"With this thought in mind, I earnestly urge the government to take expeditious measures to revamp the country’s medical education infrastructure and make it more responsive to the needs of the common man," he said.
In Lok Sabha, several MPs demanded that the government formulate a policy to allow students to complete their medical education in universities in India.
Congress Chief Whip in Lok Sabha Kodikkunnil Suresh demanded that the government should waive off education loans taken by students pursuing education in Ukraine by invoking the clause of 'act of war'. These students face an uncertain future due to their inability to complete their education and also run the risk of falling into a debt trap, he said.
YSRCP's P V Midhun Reddy and M Sreenivasulu Reddy urged the government to admit students returned from Ukraine in medical colleges in India to allow them to complete their studies.
In Rajya Sabha too, several MPs asked the government to take steps to help them complete their studies. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said a large number of Indian students in Ukraine needed to be evacuated and it was a "very challenging" task.
The Centre rose to the occasion by evacuating Indian students as well as some students of other nationalities. These efforts are praiseworthy, he said adding External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement in the Upper House on Tuesday.
TDP's Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said though the safety and security of students have been ensured, their future is at stake. He said the government should take necessary steps to safeguard their future.
Congress' K C Venugopal said students who have returned from Ukraine are in a very difficult situation and their families are also concerned about their future. He wanted the government to clarify what steps it will take.
Amar Patnaik of BJD demanded that seats in private and government medical colleges should be increased by 2-5% so that education of the students who returned from Ukraine is not affected.
Trinamool Congress' Santanu Sen said the government has taken the responsibility to complete the internship of the students after they pass the eligibility test and now it should take "some special steps" to accommodate the students who were in the first, second and third years of their studies, in India.
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