The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution against the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test and demanded the reinstatement of the earlier Common Entrance Test system for admissions to medical colleges in the state, ANI reported.
A day earlier, the West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution demanding that the Centre should scrap the examination, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to undergraduate medical courses. In June, the Tamil Nadu Assembly too unanimously passed a similar resolution.
The resolutions were passed by the Opposition-ruled states amid allegations of paper leaks and other irregularities in the 2024 undergraduate National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test. The examination was held on May 5 and the results were declared on June 4.
On Thursday, the Congress government in Karnataka tabled the resolution, which was passed in both Houses of the legislature, ANI reported.
The resolution said that the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test system severely affected “medical education opportunities of poor rural students”. It also deprived state governments the right to admit students in the government medical colleges in their own states.
“…considering the repeated irregularities in the NEET examination, the Union Government should make necessary amendments in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 [Central Act 30 of 2019] so that the NEET system is given up at the national level,” it said.
The resolution urged the Centre to exempt the state from the examination and instead allow it to provide students admissions to medical colleges based on the Common Entrance Test.
This was the entrance system used by the Karnataka government for admissions to medical colleges earlier and was conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority.
On Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal also moved a resolution in the state Assembly against the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test and called for the reinstatement of the Joint Entrance Examination in the state, The Indian Express reported.
“This House, while strongly condemning the failure of National Testing Agency to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate examinations fairly and freely, urges the Government of West Bengal to conduct the JEE [Joint Entrance Examination] for ensuring a robust public healthcare system across the state, particularly in far-fledged rural areas, in public interest,” a motion moved by the state government and passed through voice vote said.
It noted that that the Joint Entrance Examination was undertaken earlier for admissions to the state quota of undergraduate and postgraduate seats in medical colleges in West Bengal.
This examination was conducted by the Joint Entrance Board and abolished after the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test came into force.
On June 28, the Tamil Nadu Assembly too passed a resolution, urging the Centre to abolish the medical entrance test and instead allow state governments to undertake admissions to medical courses based on Class 12 marks, The Hindu reported.
After the results of this year’s examination were announced on June 4, allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities came to light. The Central Bureau of Investigation on June 22 filed a first information report on a complaint by the Union education ministry.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to order a re-examination of the 2024 undergraduate National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test, saying that there was not enough evidence to show a widespread leak of the question paper.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!