A Single Window Of Opportunity

There are multiple entrance-examinations for admissions to under graduate (UG) and post graduate (PG) medical courses in our country. While each state conducts its separate entrance exam, an All India exam is conducted by AIIMS (on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) for 50 percent of post graduate and 15 percent of under graduate seats of all the government medical colleges of the country.

All the states (except Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, who opted out of it) contribute the above mentioned percentage of seats to the central government pool. Apart from these, central institutions like AIIMS, PGIMER (Chandigarh) and JIPMER (Puducherry) conduct their own entrance examinations. The private colleges too conduct entrance tests, either individually or as consortia.

The counselling (the seat allocation process based on personal appearance) for various exams for entrance to post graduate medical courses takes place from February to May. People who succeed in multiple exams attend all these counsellings in search of the best available option. As a result, often, seats of All India pool remain vacant even after the second counselling, as some students get better options through state entrances — or in some other institutes. For the last few years, the wait-listed candidates have been approaching the Supreme Court and a third counselling (termed - extended second counselling) has thus become the norm . This leads to a delay in beginning the session every year.

During the hearing of one such case, the Supreme Court suggested the authorities to consider a common entrance test (CET) for medical colleges. The Medical Council of India (MCI) then prepared a draft for such an exam which would be the common gateway to all the government and private medical colleges of the country. The proposal received a thumbs up from the ministry and on 29th June 2010 it was announced that this CET would come into effect from this session itself.

An RTI application revealed that all states, barring three, were in support of this proposal. The proposal was welcomed by students across the country. There were misconceptions that such a proposal would affect the existing reservation quotas in various states but the MCI promptly cleared the air by stating that none of the existing quotas will be tempered with.

But in August, Tamil Nadu government came out vocally against the proposal. One of the reasons offered by them was that they did not want the 69 percent reservation in their state to be tempered with. This was strange because the MCI had already given an assurance about it. Tamil Nadu also argued that they had abolished entrance exams because such exams put students from rural areas at a disadvantage. Even this does not stand scrutiny because Tamil Nadu already has an entrance exam for admission to PG courses, and only admission to MBBS is given on the basis of marks obtained in Class XII.

Even more strangely, these objections from one state -- which clearly do not stand even a cursory scrutiny -- were enough for the central government to bow down to pressure and shelve the proposal for common admission tests on August 17.

Some medical graduates felt that perhaps there was a misunderstanding and the Tamil Nadu government was perhaps only opposing a CET for the UG course and not the one for PG courses. These students then requested the Supreme Court to make them a party in the ongoing case (Writ Petition Civil No. 380 of year 2009) and were thus allowed to present their arguments and counter those offered by Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court found merit in the petition as Tamil Nadu government did not have any convincing argument against a CET for PG courses.

On 17th September, the Supreme Court suggested to the government to start with a common entrance for PG courses this year itself, see the response and then look at a common entrance for UG courses as well. The Solicitor General Gopal Subrahmaniam who was himself present in the court said that the central government was in favour of a CET. On behalf of the government, he agreed to notify a common entrance for PG courses by 24th of September. But for reasons unknown, it was not notified.

On 24th September, the Court asked the government to submit an affidavit to it in two days and to notify the common entrance within a week.

We are in that one week and fear that private college lobbies with vested interests are at work and are trying to get things delayed. If things are delayed beyond an extent, it would become logistically difficult to implement the exam this year and the term of the current board of governors of the MCI (which students have immense faith in) will end in March 2011.

The important thing to note here is that students (including those from Tamil Nadu), the MCI, as well as the central government favour this change but the proposal seems to have received a setback due to opposition only by one political party -- the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, the DMK, which, given the numbers at the centre, is perhaps able to have its way.

Since none of the offered reasons stand scrutiny it is logical to look for an explanation and the rumours doing the rounds are that the private college lobby in Tamil Nadu does not want its ability to manipulate admissions taken away by means of a CET. DMK's support of this by itself should be reason enough for the opposition party in the state, AIADMK, to oppose the DMK's move, but even they seem to be quiet. In any case, whatever be the politics or influence at work the advantages of CET are so obvious as to make it into a no-brainer:

• It will reduce hassles for students caused by the need to travel for appearing in multiple exams and attend various counselling sessions
• In this case, one size should indeed fit all. The exam pattern will become standard as many states do not have the most efficient of examining methods and have frequently bred controversies
• Most importantly, a single exam with a single window counselling will ensure that one student chooses only one seat and consequently wastage and lapsing of seats will be prevented. Currently, a student who joins any department which has two seats for post graduation and leaves his seat after the second round of counselling, causes the department to have a 50 percent shortage of junior doctors
• According to MCI's proposal, the private colleges too will have to admit students on the basis of marks obtained in this common entrance through an open, transparent process. It will help curb the corruption that has been rampant in most private colleges.

If there indeed is any valid reason to oppose the CET for PG courses, it has not been articulated so far. We at least need to be told what exactly is the real reason that is becoming a hurdle in the way of a revolutionary change proposed by the MCI, which could very well make India "the destination" for quality medical education.

Dr. Mohit Goyal is practising and simultaneously preparing for post graduate entrance examinations.