The Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped the single common entrance test for admission to MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses in all medical colleges, paving the way for private colleges to conduct their own examination.
The Supreme Court verdict striking down NEET (national eligibility cum entrance test) for medical admission has come as a body blow to opponents of reservation.
The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the single-window National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) dealing a body blow to uniform admission norms for MBBS, BDS and MD seats in all medical colleges and allowing private medical colleagues to frame their own admissions norms and charge, in many cases, stiff capitation fees.
In stark violation of the Punjab Private Universities Policy-2010, the DAV University here has started admitting students without obtaining “mandatory” approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to run different courses while its academic session starts on August 1.
From the academic session 2013-14, Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPERC) would grant approvals to courses by private universities in the hill state.
There had been many complaints against the private colleges in the state this year for indiscriminate sale of MBBS seats under the management quota by collecting hefty donations. Worse still, many meritorious students seeking admissions under the management quota were denied applications. Sources said that the raids unearthed hundreds of crores of rupees collected as donations and capitation fees.
A minister in the Virbhadra Singh cabinet in Himachal Pradesh has raised questions over the functioning of private universities in the state by blaming them of degrading and commercializing the education.
The city's premier academic organization, Deccan Education Society (DES), has decided to move a proposal to the state government to set up a private university under the government's model guidelines to set up such self-financed universities.
Private colleges of the state have urged the Higher Education Department to consider principals, faculty and students for the prestigious annual Laxman Singh Gaud award. The award was instituted three years ago after former higher education minister of the state.
The Department of Higher Education has decided to revive the Service Selection Board (SSB) to look after recruitment of teachers for non-government colleges. The decision has received the State Government’s approval as well.