Gujarat: Government denies pro rata admissions

Ahemdabad: Despite attempts by parents to ensure pro rata system is retained in Gujarat state's medical admissions, the state government made it implicitly clear that admissions to medical colleges would be based on qualifying the National Eligibility Entrance Test(NEET), as mandated by the Supreme court. Shankar Chaudhary, Minister of State for Health clarified that the state would have a single merit list based on the NEET examination.

"The only criteria will be that students should have cleared the class XII examination in Gujarat," Chaudhary told TOI. "There won't be any pro rata basis for giving admissions to Gujarat Board and Central Board of Secondary Education students." If all students from the Gujarat Board top the list, all will be given admission, he said. "Similarly, if CBSE students rank high in merit, the the state will not intervene," he said. "The SC order will be followed in totality."

Some parents of students of the Gujarat board met higher ups to push forward their demand for retaining pro rata admissions for state and central board students. They felt that NEET is based on the CBSE syllabus, therefore the state board students would stand to disadvantage. However, experts say that the state board has brought the two at par with each other The parents on their part have had the weight age of OMR raised to 50% in the XII state board exam by arguing that CBSE exams laid more stress on objective questions.

"The government should be careful in education policy matters and not give in to populist demands as that hampers education quality and hurts students in the long run," said former State Board Chairman and Educationist, Hasmukh Hingu. "The state government has already reversed the semester system, made national entrance test for engineering JEE optional and has also changed the exam pattern. Too many flip flops are not good."