The Directorate of Medical Education is planning to conduct online counselling for MBBS and BDS admissions from this academic year, according to Selection Committee officials. The sale of applications for admission to MBBS and BDS is likely to begin from June 6, the day after UG-NEET results are announced.
Speaking to Express, Dr A Edwin Joe, Director of Medical Education, said, "We are planning to make MBBS and BDS counselling online from this academic year. Also, applications can be downloaded online. Facilitation centres will be set up at all the districts and staff will be posted to teach the students how to fill the application and other details, online. The State Health Department will conduct online counselling with the help of the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE). We are also planning to train vice-principals of the medical colleges on the online process, so that they could help the people in facilitation centres."
The rural students would be affected by this proposal. Already, they were struggling with NEET procedures. Many had to drop out from appearing for the exam as they either could not afford the coaching centres or were not clear about the online process. While implementing such procedures, the government should consider the difficulty of the rural students also, said a senior doctor.
However, another official from the Selection Committee said, "We are trying to make the counselling online but still haven't finalised on how to go about it. It may be noted that the Directorate of Medical Education had announced that counselling for PG medical admission would be conducted online but could not proceed later with the planning due to various reasons like the risk of verifying nativity and community certificate. Many non-native students had secured seats in Tamil Nadu, producing fake nativity certificate in the past, which created a controversy."
Meanwhile, the Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education, is likely to release the prospectus for the MBBS and BDS admissions in a couple of days. "We are preparing the prospectus and it's almost ready. We will release it in a couple of days," the official added.
