Karnataka to conduct CET while Supreme Court debates over NEET

On Monday, December 17, 2012, Karnataka agreed to conduct the CET (Common Entrance Test) scheduled for May 2013, for the BDS and MBBS degrees. This decision was taken on the basis of a meeting led by the medical education minister on Monday.  However, the final decision is still pending with the Supreme Court, which is set to hear the case on January 15, 16 and 17, 2013. Initially, students were directed to take the NEET (National Eligibility *** Entrance Test). In the meantime, the KEA (Karnataka Examination Authority) has been asked to come up with a bridge course in event of Supreme Court ruling in favor of NEET.

Since, NEET would account for 4,804 MBBS seats out of a total of 6,005 against the 2,212 seats under CET, its rankings have been accepted by the government. The agreement was made, based on 85 percent of seats being held in Karnataka Colleges under state quota.

However, with many colleges, states and autonomous institutions filing petitions regarding the validity of NEET, the apex court has directed the states to conduct the CET.  The apex court has also directed the Dental Council of India and Medical Council of India to conduct NEET simultaneously, as CET Results will be subject to a court verdict in Jan, 2013.

The government claims that if NEET was enforced, students would have been spared from taking multiple entrance tests. Moreover, the government also denies the notion that NEET, based on CBSE syllabus, will prove to be too difficult for state students.  As per the government, the NEET question papers are being prepared, keeping in mind the varied syllabi of each state in the country. The state government has directed the concerned department to release study material, hold tutorial classes and prepare tests to help students sit for the exam next year.

Source: The Times of India