The postgraduate (PG) medical aspirants who have moved the Supreme Court raising concerns about the scoring method used for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) are now waiting with bated breath as a Supreme Court hearing has been scheduled on Tuesday, November 19.
In addition to this, another plea has been filed with the pending petition that requests for a postponement in the seat allotment process till the hearing has concluded, and the judgement on the petition is out.
Dr Ishika Jain, one of the petitioners, informed EdexLive that the group of petitioners had forwarded an interim application to the court, and it has been accepted.
She said, "We are now moving forward, the response received has been positive. We are hoping that the verdict may bring us justice."
She emphasised that the verdict is important, as it would pave the way for a more transparent process.
These candidates have raised concerns about the score normalisation process implemented by the National Board of Examinations (NBEMS) for the first time. The process was introduced to ensure fairness in the results of the exam conducted in two shifts on August 11.
The petitioners argue that the results announced on August 23, 2024, were fraught with several problems, including the failure to release proper scorecards.
They further contended that students received unexpected marks, and there was a stark difference in the ranks they received.
Further, the National Board of Examinations (NBE) was unsuccessful in providing an answer key, which led to further scrutiny.
The petitioners assert that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) proceeded with the counselling process despite the court's instructions to resolve the matter by November 19.
They argue that the rushed announcement of counselling dates could defeat the purpose of their petition.
The fresh plea filed by these aspirants mentioned, "Since this Hon’ble Court has already directed the matter to be listed on 19.11.2024, the Petitioners pray that the MCC may be directed to defer the counselling for NEET PG 2024 until the present petition is heard, lest the subject matter become infructuous and fait accompli on the petitioners."
The MCC published the 2024 counselling schedule on November 1, setting the deadline for Round 1 choice-filling as November 17, with seat allotment scheduled for November 18 and 19.
While students are entrapped in a process that is unsuccessful in meeting their expectations, experts opine that it is time that the government takes accountability for its actions, and devise plans to correct them.
Expert education counsellor Jayaprakash Gandhi, sympathising with the aspirants' cause, said, "I get their point of view and their struggle. They are trying their best." He stressed the fact that the apex court should take a bold stance, and put an end to the prolonged dilemma of the students resurfacing each year.
"Their demands are not misplaced. The Supreme Court is perhaps not laying enough emphasis on the issue," asserted another NEET and education expert, Gaurav Tyagi. "These are doctors, why is the government being complacent? The solution is to have a planned structured programme that would allow it to strengthen its defences against future mayhems, is there any progress? I doubt so," added Tyagi, ̌Director of Career Xpert, a counselling platform.
For these experts, the constant flux in patterns, rules, and programmes has created an atmosphere of doubt that is here to linger unless there is a change. Students are being forced to file pleas and petitions in a vague hope for justice, but will they succeed this time?
