Bengaluru: Beginning this year, those aspiring to take up undergraduate AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) courses will have to compulsorily qualify in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to seek college admissions in the state.
Until now NEET was mandatory only for a medical/dental seat in the state, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has updated their decision, attributing them to the directives released by the state ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the union AYUSH directorate. The official announcement of KEA regarding CET 2018 has also mentioned that such candidates need not appear for the state entrance examinations. “The candidates who wish to seek admission to medical, dental or AYUSH courses must compulsorily qualify in the NEET-2018 exam, conducted by the CBSE Board,” reads a notification uploaded on the KEA portal. According to a notification released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the state government has decided to adopt NEET for admissions to the courses both in government and private colleges from this year. Last year, while all government seats and 80% seats in aided colleges were filled through CET, 20% in private unaided colleges also considered the CET score towards allocating merit seats. “The KEA shall allot all seats in Government and Private AYUSH colleges subject to prevailing reservation of seats to various categories without having NRI/Management quota from the academic year 2018-19,” clarified B. Kamalamma, Under Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Relief for candidates
Even though the Union AYUSH directorate had deliberated on making NEET the qualifying exam for seats to all AYUSH courses across the country, a number of states had already proceeded with their respective state entrance exams for the year 2017-18. The total implementation of the plan was then postponed to 2018-19, to avoid confusions among candidates and exam authorities.
“We had to juggle around from college offices to the KEA office numerous times last year as the replies to our confusions failed to match each other. We had raised the issue to the KEA and thus, this decision included in the first brochure itself will avoid such concerns this time,” said Pawan, who is planning to take the entrance exam this year as well for a better rank. The KEA had written to the state authorities concerned and at the Centre last month, requesting them for a final confirmation on the matter prior to the finalisation of the application and brochure for CET 2018.
