NEET held smoothly, 97% students take the exam

• Lack of clarity over medical admission flayed;A
• EAMCET is only hope now but SC verdict becomes vital

Hyderabad: Students and parents have blamed the government for lack of clarity over medical admissions as hundreds of aspirants faced an uphill task in the first ever NEET exam- for entry into first year MBBS and BDS courses- held on Sunday. As many as 68,000 students have taken the exam, which was held smoothly at five cities in AP- Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Nellore and Warangal. An average of 97% of the total registered candidates (68000) attempted the exam, according to reports of regional coordinators of CBSE.

More than 33,000 aspirants have taken the exam at Hyderabad alone followed by nearly 19,500 in Vijayawada. In most of the areas in Nellore,Warangal and Vijayawada, locals helped the students a lot by offering them shelter, drinking water, food and some snacks as well. Exam was videographed in some identified sensitive centres. The exam was conducted amidst lack of clarity over what should be adopted for admissions in the state- NEET or EAMCET. The Minister for Secondary Education along with the Director of Medical Education have asked the students to prepare for both the tests just two months back as the Supreme Court is yet to pronounce its verdict on a batch of petitions from 13 states over applicability of NEET. "When there is huge variation of syllabi between NEET and EAMCET, how can the students prepare themselves in such a short span of time?" asked Veera Reddy of Kadapa whose son wrote the exam at Nellore centre. "The upgraded text books have been distributed to students at the end of February. The government thought just two months time is enough for the students to covert to CBSE syllabus. This is nothing but lack of farsightedness and irresponsibility" Prabhkar Renukala of Vijayawada whose daughter has appeared for the exam at Kanuru Siddartha college. The government should have given at least an years time for change of pattern as Intermediate is a crucial year of turning point for students, Lalithkumar, an expert on higher education said. As NEET proved to be a setback for good number of students, focus is now shifted to EAMCET-medical which would be held on May 10. Students pinned hopes on Supreme Court verdict. Whatever may be the judgment of the apex court, it will have little effect on the state as AP enjoys special status under Article 371(D). All the 5600 seats in the colleges of AP will be allotted to AP students only under this special arrangement. But those who opt for a better national-level medical college under 15% quota is bound to lose, according to experts.