BENGALURU: With the NEET II examination date fast approaching, private tuition firms are making easy money in the name of ‘crash courses’.
According to the students, especially those from the state syllabus, these firms are charging anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000 for a crash course which is 60 days long with 8-hour classes per day.
With an ordinance issued by the Union government making it mandatory to have an NEET score card to get seats in all the non-government colleges including private colleges and deemed universities, students who are nurturing the ambition of becoming doctors, are flocking to these crash courses. The decision by state private medical and dental college associations not to surrender seats for government CET students has worsened the situation.
Crash courses everywhere: According to aspiring students, all the tuition firms including a few integrated colleges are now offering crash courses for the NEET II examination scheduled on July 24.
"I am a state syllabus student. Most of the syllabus prescribed for NEET II is relatively new for me. Those students who studied in CBSE and ICSE syllabus are familiar with it. So, I am left with no option except to join the crash course. But it costs a whopping Rs. 35,000 for 60 days," laments Ms. Vijaya Lakshmi Rao, a student.
"The classes are run from early morning to late evening. It is a vast syllabus. I have been nurturing the ambition of becoming a doctor since my childhood. As there will not be any government quota seats in the private colleges, I need to score a high rank in NEET," she said.
According to sources at the state higher education department, as a central ordinance has kept the state medical and dental colleges out of the purview of NEET, there is no question of launching any special training programme for the state students. "If NEET was applicable for the state government-run medical colleges we were planning a series of coaching programmes. But now there is no such proposal," said an officer.
Decision unchanged
Private medical and dental college associations have made it clear that there is no question of honoring the consensual agreement signed with the state government earlier this year over seat matrix and fee structure.
As per the consensual agreement, private medical and dental colleges had agreed to surrender 40% of their intake to the government CET students.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr. Ms Jayaram of the association did say that there was no change in the decision. "There will not be any alteration in our decision," he made it clear.
300 new seats
According to the officials at the state medical education department, with MCI issuing permission to three new medical colleges in the state, the number of government medical seats are expected to go up by 300 this year compared to last year. "We are hopeful of getting 40% seats in the private medical and dental colleges for government CET students," said an officer.
No alternative for aspirants
With private medical and dental college associations making it clear that they will not surrender any seats to the state CET students, all those who want a medical seat have been left with no option other than applying for NEET II.
"I did not apply for AIPMT which is now renamed NEET I, assuming there will be government quota seats in the private colleges. Now, I have applied for the NEET II examination to increase my chances of getting a seat in a private medical college," said Mr. Lavakumar, a student.
"In CET I have scored very well. But last year the medical cut-off under general category was around 1,900 rank. So I need to try really hard in the NEET examination," he added.
