Minister for Higher Education C.T. Ravi said here on Monday that he would discuss with S.A. Ramdas, Minister for Medical Education, on whether the State should adopt the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in the next academic year for MBBS admission.
The Minister said the Directorate of Medical Education in the State was “interested” in adopting NEET for the 2013-14 MBBS admission and not the Common Entrance Test (CET).
NEET is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and CET by the Karnataka Examinations Authority.
When told that medical aspirants were in a dilemma now as pre-university students in the State were studying the State syllabus while the NEET would be based on the Class 12 syllabus of the CBSE, the Minister said: “I will talk to Mr. Ramdas. I will solve the confusion over it.”
Mr. Ravi made it clear that admission to engineering courses for 2013-14 in the State would be made through CET and not through NEET. He said the State Government would wait for a year before adopting NEET for engineering admission.
The Minister was in Ramakrishna Ashram to inaugurate a seminar on ‘values’ for postgraduate students.
To another question, the Minister said that some degree colleges managed by Muzrai Department have appealed to him that they should be taken over by the Department of Collegiate Education. Teachers in those colleges were unhappy that as the colleges were managed by the Muzrai Department they were drawing State pay scale and not the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scale. The department had opened those colleges in some rural areas many years ago with good intention. But as other degree colleges have come up in those areas, strength of students in colleges managed by the Muzrai Department had come down. Hence, the department was finding it difficult to manage them.
The Minister said that his ministry would examine if some of those colleges which fulfilled the norms of the UGC could be taken over. “They will not be taken over forcibly,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Ravi inaugurated the seminar at the ashram. Chairman and Managing Director of the Corporation Bank Ajai Kumar gave away scholarships of the ashram to poor students. Mr. Kumar stressed that educational institutions should infuse values among students. He said that one should not compromise with sincerity and honesty. Swami Jitakamanandaji delivered the keynote address.