Lakhs of students appear for NEET and providing of only four centres is hopelessly inadequate. CBSE seems to have no idea as to the quantum of unnecessary miseries and expenses to which they are putting the students into by only providing four centres for the entire State. Is it not strange that even Mysuru, which is the second important city in the State, is not in the list of centres for NEET?

Sir,

From this year onwards, CBSE Delhi is holding National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for selection of students for admission into Medical colleges. This has necessitated the PUC students to take two examinations — one held by the State for Engineering seats and another by the Central Government (CBSE) for Medical seats.  It is something like a “double jeopardy” for the students putting them into double the expenses, double the anxieties and double the time and efforts.

Now the CBSE has added some more misery to the students. For the entire State of a population of six and odd crores and stretching over seven hundred  kilometres from South to North and four hundred kilometres from East to West, the CBSE has specified only four examination centres — namely Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Belagavi and Kalaburagi.

Lakhs of students appear for the test and providing of only four centres is hopelessly inadequate. CBSE seems to have no idea as to the quantum of unnecessary miseries and expenses to which they are putting the students into by only providing four centres for the entire State.

Is it not strange that even Mysuru, which is the second important city in the State, is not in the list of centres for NEET? Mysuru city and the surrounding five districts (Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu and Hassan) have three Universities,  a number of Medical colleges and hundreds of PUC colleges. Yet it is NOT a centre for NEET!

Considering the vastness of the State and the large number of PUC colleges spread all over it, it is high time the CBSE declares all district head quarters in the State as centres for NEET examination. In case it is not possible for any reason, at least Mysuru, Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Hubballi and Raichur should be declared as additional centres. In any case, Mysuru is a must.

The State Government, educationists and people’s representatives should urgently take up the matter with CBSE and have adequate number of centres for NEET declared in the State.

– K.N. Ananthaswamy