Despite clearing NEET, why government school students set to reappear for test again

New Delhi: Even though 569 students from Delhi government schools cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) last year, data compiled by the government shows that only around 10% scored the cut-off necessary for admission to government medical colleges

New Delhi: Even though 569 students from Delhi government schools cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) last year, data compiled by the government shows that only around 10% scored the cut-off necessary for admission to government medical colleges. With private institutions charging exorbitant fees, and a majority of students in Delhi government schools from low-income backgrounds, a majority have been forced to reappear for the tests, in the hopes of securing a seat in a public medical institution.

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As per data analysed by Hindustan Times, only 18 students scored 580 or above, out of 720, the usual cut-off for admissions to government medical colleges under the so-called general category. Nineteen others eligible under the reserved categories were ranked below 10,000, the usual cut-off trend for admission to government colleges.

Experts added that the cut-off for reserved seats mostly ranges between ranks 10,000-20,000 for Other Backward Classes (OBC), 50,000-60,000 for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 80,000-90,000 rank for Scheduled Tribes (ST) category in government colleges. Students with ranks below this can also secure admission if seats are not filled.

Around 1.35 millions aspirants had appeared for NEET last year for around 80,000 MBBS seats. In Delhi, approximately around 1,100 seats are available in eight government colleges.

“This is the usual trend. It can fluctuate to a certain degree at times depending on the availability of seats,” said Mahesh Verma, vice-chancellor of Delhi’s Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, which has five undergraduate medical colleges affiliated to it.

According to preliminary data from Delhi’s education department, 29 students of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Molarband cleared the medical exams. However, only two were able to get admitted to undergraduate medical courses, said the school’s principal Sujata Tamta.

“The updated numbers show that 42 students from our school cleared the tests. Two got admitted to government medical colleges in Delhi and two more enrolled in other medical professional courses. Most the others are preparing to reappear for the entrance exam. Since most of our students come for low-income backgrounds, these students could not get admitted to private medical institutes, where the fees are exponentially higher than government colleges,” she said.

The scenario was similar in Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Okhla’s Noor Nagar, where none of the 23 girls who qualified for NEET 2020 could opt for a degree in medicine in any college this year owing to financial constraints. For instance, 17-year-old Areeba Naeem, whose father works as an electrician in the neighbourhood, was eligible for multiple private institutes but the cheapest fee among these was ₹75 lakh, which was far beyond their means to pay.

“We are a family of five, and only one is an earning member. So I decided to take a drop year and prepare again,” said Naeem, adding that she was disappointed with her rank, because she knew she wouldn’t be eligible to get admitted to a government college.

School authorities said only one student among the 23 took admission in a pharmacy course at a polytechnic college.

Head of the school Mudasir Jahan said, “Our students are children of drivers, hotel staffers, vegetable vendors, cloth-sellers, among others. They could not take admission in private colleges where the fees are very high. We reached out to non-governmental organisations and civil society members to arrange for coaching classes for these students. A former principal of our school sponsored two students and Jamia Cooperative Bank sponsored 10 others for classes at a private coaching institute. The remaining have also been engaged with other coaching institutes at a nominal fee,” she said.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said students seeking admission could opt for the Delhi government’s financial assistance programmes. “It’s good that our students are confident they will score better marks and make another attempt at NEET. It is significant that so many students are passing this exam. However we have loans and scholarships for students who are in need of financial support,” he said.

Several government schools are in constant touch with the aspirants and provide them with learning materials and guidance necessary to reappear for NEET this year, which is usually held in April-May.

Anurag Tiwari, national academic director (medical) at Aakash Institute with nearly two decades of experience in the area, said, “The range of cut-offs varies across states, but students need to score at least 625 for admission government medical colleges in Delhi under the general category. Students scoring 580 or above can seek admission in government colleges across India under general category. This is the usual trend.”

Tiwari explained that qualifying NEET only means that the students will be eligible for medical counselling. “Students getting 150 out of 720 will also be considered among those who have cleared the tests. This means that they are eligible to participate in counselling. While their chances of getting into medical programmes in government colleges are low, these students can seek admission under management quota in private colleges.”

IP University vice-chancellor Mahesh Verma said, “Though there are over 800,000 eligible aspirants for nearly 100,000 medical seats, around 900 seats are still vacant across deemed universities because of the high fees. There should be a mechanism to regulate the fee and put a cap so that meritorious students who cannot seek admission in government colleges have a chance to opt at private colleges.”

Apart from the fees charged by private institutions, the cost of living in another city is one that most students of Delhi government schools can barely afford.

Awadhesh Kumar Jha, principal of Sarvodaya co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini Sector 8, said, “Many students also want to get admitted to institutions in Delhi so that they don’t incur additional living expenses that come with living in another city. So students often take a drop year and prepare again. The results have, however, have motivated students. While they have qualified this year, we believe many will secure admission in government colleges next year.”

In November, the Delhi government had asked schools to arrange for sessions where those who cracked competitive exams like NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to motivate their juniors and be their “role models”.