Medical, dental aspirants from Maharashtra seek clarity on admission process

Undergraduate medical and dental aspirants along with their parents have approached the state common entrance test (CET) cell and the Directorate of Medical Education

Undergraduate medical and dental aspirants along with their parents have approached the state common entrance test (CET) cell and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) seeking clarity on the medical admission process for the 2020-21 academic year.

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In separate emails sent to both bodies on Monday, students and parents have demanded that the admission schedule along with a brochure and seat matrix for the upcoming academic year be shared at the earliest.

“The Centre’s medical counselling committee (MCC) recently clarified that the admissions process for UG medical and dental seats should begin across states on November 6, and if the state has to follow this, students need to be made aware of basic details including the schedule,” said Sudha Shenoy, parent and activist. She added that with no information on admissions released in over two weeks since the announcement of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET UG) results, anxiety and stress levels among students is very high.

In their letter, parents and medical aspirants have highlighted that the admission process in the state needs to start by November 6 as prescribed by the Centre, so that students who bag a seat in the all-India quota (AIQ) are not deprived of trying their luck on state quota seats as well.

Earlier in September, the state government announced their decision to abolish the 70:30 regional quota in medical admission that reserved 70% seats for those from the region. However, this decision of the government was challenged by a student from Vidarbha. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court has put a stay in medical admissions until November 10.

“Admissions could begin after November 10, but the pre-admission process of registration and document verification is a long process, so the state needs to start the process. This will help calm nerves of lakhs of medical and dental aspirants,” added Shenoy.

While a DMER spokesperson said that a schedule for undergraduate medical admissions has already been approved, the state CET cell confirmed that the schedule should be released soon.

At present, the state CET cell is yet to release any information on the admissions process. Parents are also planning to approach the Bombay high court if the state fails to start admissions by November 6.