Over five days have passed since the Medical Council Committee (MCC) initiated the registration process for the first round of counselling for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 on September 20. Yet, candidates are still awaiting any substantial information regarding the counselling, including the schedule, seat matrix, or even registration closing date.
At a time when issues regarding non-transparency in the NEET-PG 2024 exam process and results have already reached the Supreme Court, this lack of information in the counselling process becomes particularly concerning for the candidates.
Now, the petitioners have already filed an additional affidavit with the Supreme Court, drawing attention to discrepancies in the current counselling process and the hearing is likely to take place on Friday, September 27.
Educationists opine that the candidates should wait for the Supreme Court hearing before applying for the NEET-PG counselling process, especially since there is still no deadline for the registration process.
“Students should remain calm during this period, as there is currently no deadline for the registration window closing. Therefore, registering later will not have any affect. There's no need to feel stressed or create unnecessary hassle. Every year, before the forms are released, the exam authorities come out with the counselling schedule and information brochure. Then the seat matrix and college details are released before starting the counselling process,” explained Gaurav Tyagi, Founder of Career Xpert, which provides guidance to NEET UG/PG students.
“This time, they have started the counselling process in a hurry so they can appear in court and say that the counselling process has already started and that delay in the exam process would affect thousands of candidates. I hope the students put forward their concerns in the court,” Tyagi claimed.
This year has been particularly challenging for India’s education sector, with numerous discrepancies, instances of mismanagement, and paper leaks emerging in national-level exams like NEET-UG and UGC-NET.
Educationists emphasise that, at a time when trust in the education system is at an all-time low, transparency is crucial for effectively conducting such high-stakes exams.
“From the very beginning, we have been repeating that transparency is the most important in national-level exams. Before the exam itself, the testing agency should put information like seat matrix, available courses and fee structure in the public domain. Students can only make an informed decision after they are provided with all the information. Especially in the case of the NEET-PG exam, the candidates are not idle. They are MBBS graduates, many are working in hospitals. They will need to plan financially and in every other way,” explained educationist and career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi.
