Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Gujarat Health and Medical Education Minister Shankar Chaudhary on Thursday said that students aspiring to pursue medical courses will now have to take national eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) only for admissions. Till last year, admissions to MBBS and BDS courses were done on the basis of merit in NEET, while admissions to ayurvedic, homoeopathic and naturopathy courses done on merit in Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET). So, the students had to appear at two entrance tests to try their chances for admission to MBBS, dental and other courses.
Chaudhary, in a statement, said that the state government has dropped GUJCET and all admissions in medical courses would be done on the basis of merit in NEET only. “So, the students have to appear at one exam only,” the minister said. The minister also clarified that the number of seats to students belonging to different education boards would be allotted on pro-rata basis.
He said that the seats for students of different boards would be in proportion to the percentage of students studying in respective boards’ schools in Gujarat. The maximum number of seats would be allotted to students of Gujarat board as they account for largest number of students in the state.
About admissions in optometry, audiology and speech therapy, and para-medical courses like nursing and physiotherapy, admissions would be done on merit prepared on the basis of marks obtained by candidates in their Class XII exams. The minister said that the candidates don’t need to appear in NEET for admission to these courses. In Gujarat, 85 per cent of seats in all medical courses are reserved for students having studied in the state, while 15 per cents seats are meant for all-India quota. There are a total of 3,330 seats for MBBS course in 22 medical colleges, and 1,155 seats for BDS courses in dental colleges.
