In a video that is going viral on Twitter, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, speaking at a conference at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur today, July 6, is heard saying that the National Exit Test (NExT) will not be implemented for the 2019 MBBS batch. Instead, the new exam will be started for the 2020 batch.
"No student needs to undergo any stress. I'm not bringing the 2019 batch into NExT; I will bring it to the 2020 batch. There will be no NExT this year," the minister says, in answer to a student's query on the exam and the tension it has ushered in for the students. Dr Mandaviya also mentions that NExT will not be considered as the final exam, but will replace NEET.
"I will not consider NExT as a final exam, but NEET will be replaced by it. You can get your degree, but registration will be done only when you qualify NExT. This means NExT equals NEET," he says. "We are moving forward in this direction. Students need not take any stress. The government and NMC will not take any decision which creates confusion among students," he adds.
The minister's words come amidst concerns pouring in over the new exam from all parts of the country. Students from various medical colleges have organised protests demanding that NExT should not be implemented for the 2019 batch, as the guidelines are confusing and there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed before implementation.
The interaction at Raipur took place in the morning at about 11.30. And there is no official notification on the implementation of NExT for 2020 and not for 2019 yet.
