The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution asking the Center to discontinue the National Entrance Eligibility Test, or NEET, which is used to grant admission to Indian medical colleges and instead create its own entrance exam.
The resolution stated, “Given the irregularities occurring nationwide, this House demands that the Center exempt Karnataka from this exam and allow school students to be admitted to medical colleges based on the Common Entrance Test administered by the State government and cancel the NEET system and make essential amendments in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (Central Act 30 of 2019)”.
States Call for Abolishment of NEET Amid Widespread Protests and Criticisms
In response to widespread demonstrations around the country over purported flaws in the exam’s administration, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu had passed resolutions calling for the elimination of NEET.
The Karnataka government, which is led by Congress, argued that the NEET test system robs state governments of their authority to admit children to state-run institutions and renders the school education system inefficient.
The West Bengal Assembly voted a motion on Wednesday requesting that the Center do away with the NEET examination. A resolution on the same issue was unanimously voted by the Tamil Nadu assembly last month.
Also Read: NEET-UG case: CBI detains 4 students of AIIMS Patna for questioning
Controversy Surrounding NEET Sparks Protests and Calls for Overhaul
This comes after the exam became the subject of intense controversy when thousands of students demonstrated against the National Testing Agency (NTA), the organization in charge of administering the test, alleging irregularities in its administration.
NEET-UG was held on May 5 of this year. But when the results were made public on June 4, an extraordinary 67 pupils were named top scorers, leading to claims that the tests had been cheated.
Since then, parents and candidates have urged that the NTA be eliminated and that a new exam be administered to guarantee equity. Dharmendra Pradhan, the minister of education, has also been called to quit by the opposition.
