Chennai: With Neet results to be declared only on August 17, private medical colleges are yet to start admitting students, which would otherwise be completed by July every year. Not only is Neet a twist in the syllabus or the method of exams, but it has also created confusion among institutions awaiting guidelines before taking the next step.
“Usually, students applying to medical colleges, appear for their exams between March and April. The results are declared between April and May. Students will be admitted by July,” said V. Kannagasabai, Registrar, Bharath University.
With around 4000 seats to be filled in private colleges and universities, institutions and educationists alike have lamented the lack of any guidelines from CBSE on the admission process to be followed. “What is the need to delay the guidelines? Students and parents are anxious. The method of selection is yet to be spelt out. Colleges should get their application forms ready before they can be issued to students,” said Kannagasabai.
Having fallen in line with the Supreme Court’s orders, Christian Medical College, Vellore, is making all efforts to prepare itself for the admission procedure. “We have tried to present our concerns and apprehensions with regard to this, but now, we have complied with the Supreme Court order. We did not conduct our own entrance exam like we normally do,” said Director, Sunil Chandy.
Following the eligibility test results, the institute will prepare itself to subject the candidates to its own ‘suitability test’ in the form of some interviews before shortlisting its candidates.
Despite admissions having become more difficult in some ways, the institute is certain to finish its admission procedure well in time before September 30, which is the deadline set by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
“This year, admissions are terribly late, as we usually start in July. The candidates will join only in mid-September and as a result, they would have lost out on almost two-and-a-half months of study,” he said. “We are planning to make our students skip their winter vacations to cover up the lost time,” he said.
The institution receives hundreds of calls and emails every day from concerned parents. “Their fears are justifiable as if their children fail to make it, they are going to lose an entire year as there are no other options available,” Chandy said.
SRMC too gets many calls from students and parents. “As of now, we have not received any official communication as to how to go about the admissions. The last date for admissions, as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines is September 30. So we are well within the range,” said J.S.N. Murthy, Vice-Chancellor, SRMC.
