MCI debarment of NIOS students from NEET: HRD Minister to meet Health minister

New Delhi: An apprehension seems to have been created with the Medical Council of India (MCI), barring students of the Open and Distance mode pattern (NIOS), from appearing for the Common Medical Entrance Examination (NEET). This has led to a meeting to be held between the Human Resource Minister, Prakash Javadekar and Union Health Minister, JP Nadda to ponder over the Council's decision.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Medical Council of India (MCI) had issued a notice clearly stating that a person who had passed his/her 10+2 from NIOS or State Open Schooling Boards, was not eligible to take admission in MBBS or equivalent medical course in a medical university/medical college outside the country.

Read also: Open school candidates INELIGIBLE for MBBS abroad: Medical Council Of India

A Medical Council of India (MCI), ealier communiqué to the NIOS stated that the body’s proposal to allow these students to take the test would be looked at by the Council. However, it added that NIOS students would not be on par with those from the regular mode. “...they would be ineligible for NEET on an equitable basis,” said the letter sent in 2017.

It was further decided that if the required criteria of graduate medical education regulation were fulfilled by students appearing in 10+2 exams by the NIOS, they would be eligible for MBBS admission. “It was proposed by the MCI,” added a health ministry official.

The NIOS has on its part expressed concern over the Council's decision as it feels the decision would deprive thousands a fair chance to join the medical profession.

Approximately 2 lakh students register every year with the NIOS, about 3,000 had registered for NEET in 2017, the official said. “Across India, the number would be higher. Out of 3,000 NIOS students, 864 qualified the test too. So it is unfair to bar them,” a senior official told HT.

It was after the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) wrote to the HRD Ministry recently expressing concerns, that the meeting between two ministers is happening, reports

DNA.

NIOS officials in an attempt to prove their assessments to be quality in nature said that their syllabus was more rigorous and students are examined on the syllabus for class XI and XII, in comparison to other boards which examine students on their XII knowledge examine learners based on their class XII syllabus alone.

“We can’t equate regular students with those who complete class 12 from correspondence as the latter don’t get practical lessons,” member of the MCI, justifying the Council’s decision told HT.