The upcoming National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Masters of Dental Surgery (NEET MDS) exam is marred by the unfortunate ineligibility of a significant number of candidates from the 2018 batch. The decision to extend only the eligibility date while leaving the exam date unchanged has left only a handful of students eligible for the exam, with just 10 days of preparation time. stated the report by The New Indian Express.

Dissatisfied with the Centre’s decision to extend the cut-off date for completing the internship but not postponing the NEET MDS 2024 exam, dental students are set to approach the Supreme Court once again this week. Dental undergraduates said the half-hearted decision by the central government has aggrieved them further.

According to the latest decision, students from the 2018 batch, whose internships conclude by June, are eligible to sit for the entrance exam which is slated on March 18. The students said a large number of aspirants, around 6,000, would remain ineligible as their internships would conclude later in the year due to disruptions led by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, they also said that with only a few days left before the exam, they are unable to prepare for it and make arrangements to travel to the examination centres.

“If thousands of us miss this attempt of NEET MDS 2024, we have to sit idle until December next year for college admissions. That’s two years of our lives wasted in stagnation, with no concrete employment or career growth. Most of us come from very poor families. Besides, we want to be in the system,” said Adesh Rabbi, a NEET MDS aspirant whose internship period will be over in September.

Earlier, the Centre had decided March 31 as the cut-off date for the BDS internship. However, the latest decision hasn’t only received flak from the aspiring students, but also medical associations, who have shared their concerns.