There is lot of discussion going on about NEET, the Common Entrance Test for Medical Entrance in India.
Our esteemed Supreme Court first stuck down Common Entrance Test 3 years ago, which was a folly. Frankly, it was downright corruption, as the then CJ signed this bizarre order on the day he was retiring, and there were murmurs as to how genuine the verdict was.
That was mistake #1.
Mistake #2 was for the Supreme Court to implement NEET this year, within one week of it giving its order, and when lot of States has already conducted their Entrance Examinations.
The SC steadfastly refused to hear the genuine grievance of students who were totally unprepared for NEET this year. They took an Ostrich like stand and their Ego ruled roost.
This is what happens when SC and its judges are allowed to dictate policy.
They could and should have upheld the principle of NEET and asked the Government to come up with a reasonable time frame to implement, perhaps from 2017.
It is a known fact that many of the State level Medical Entrance Test and those conducted by Self Financing colleges are farces. But what is the guarantee NEET will not be a farce. Education is in the concurrent list, and there are many syllabuses across the country. Till such time they are not unified, NEET may not be effective.
It would be worthwhile to explore the option of conducting NEET, but making it optional for Colleges and States to join in. The States can be allowed to conduct their own Medical Entrance, on the proviso that those who pass out as Doctors are only Licensed to work in that particular State. In the event of they having to work outside the State, they will have to undergo a rigorous qualifying examination at All India Level and only those scoring 70% above should be given the license to practice all over India or Abroad.
Someone who has undergone a MBBS course plus House Surgeon program should be in a position to prepare and take the All India Licensing examination at the end of his course, and not before.
But who will bell the Supreme Court Cat?
