NIOS debarment from NEET Unreasonable and Unjust: Health Ministry to MCI

Trichy: The Health Ministry that has been surveying the Medical Council’s decision of debarring National Institute of Open Schooling(NIOS), students from appearing for the NEET exam, ever since the controversy surfaced has once again asked the apex medical education regulator to reconsider its decision. The Ministry has also been approached by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development to review the Council’s decision keeping in mind the number of qualifiers of the exam every year from the NIOS.

The health ministry has asked Medical Council of India (MCI) to reconsider its decision to bar students of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) from appearing for the national eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) this year. This has given a flicker of hope to thousands of medical aspirants writing their plus 2 through the NIOS board who were to appear for NEET, the national entrance test for MBBS admissions across the country.

A February 1 dated letter of the Ministry of Health to the MCI states that CBSE had granted recognition to NIOS considering it equivalent to the other recognized boards. The ministry in its letter has also called the NIOS exclusion unreasonable and unjust as 1,500-2,000 students from NIOS board have been writing the exam and a substantial number clearing it as well, reports TOI.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the CBSE had refused to get dragged into any controversy regarding the Medical Council of India’s decision to bar both the NIOS and private candidates (who had appeared for their class XII board exam this year) from the National Eligibility Entrance Test exam (NEET), from this year.

Setting aside student queries on the issue, the CBSE officials had asked students to pose their question to the Medical Council of India alone. A notice (FAQ) released by the Board urged NEET (national eligibility-cum-entrance test) aspirants not to ask the body an answer on a decision taken by the MCI.

Read also: MCI debarment of NIOS Candidates: CBSE clarifies its position

In the month of December 2017, 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. The apex medical regulator had also stated that in such cases, the Medical Council of India would not accept applications for Eligibility Certificate from all students intending to take admission in foreign medical institutions from the academic year 2017-18 and onwards till further orders.

Read also: Centre reverses MCI ban on NIOS students appearing for NEET