Do we need NEET for MBBS?

 

Do we need NEET for MBBS?

I would like to share some of my thoughts on this topic based on my engineering entrance exams' experience.

Back in 2005, I was a student who wanted to pursue my engineering degree in a reputed institution. I secured good marks in all of the Tamilnadu Higher Secondary & Matriculation Syllabus subjects. I had three exams in front of me - TNPCEE(Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examination), AIEEE(All India Engineering Entrance Examination) and JEE(Joint Entrance Examination). TNPCEE was more aligned with my schooling background and I was able to get through it. I had a tough time with both AIEEE and JEE and wasn't able to get through it to qualify for NITs and IITs. With a student mindset, I blamed the AIEE and JEE exams for being very tough and having questions beyond my syllabus.

As I grow up, I became mature enough to understand that it's not the problem with AIEEE or JEE, but with the quality of syllabus I had in my schooling. Although I initially blamed AIEEE and JEE exams, the question in my mind is "Why was my school syllabus not competitive enough?". It's the responsibility of the curriculum to help students achieve their career goals. If the Tamilnadu HSC or Matriculation Syllabus is not capable of helping students to join IIT or NIT, there's no need for its existence.

Competition is the only key to a successful career and life. The more you compete, the more you want to win. The ultimate purpose of any educational curriculum is to make the students win. There can be diversified syllabuses within a country, but the quality and the competitive nature should not vary. If it changes, there's no point of multiple curriculums and can be replaced with an unified syllabus.

As far as the unexpected things happening due to failures in competitive exams, students need more moral and emotional support as well as ideas about an alternative career path. Not everybody gets everything in life. It's all about making your life successful as per your definition of success and moulding it accordingly. In fact, few of my friends who under graduated with me were able to join IITs later for post graduation. Options for switching career at any point in life helps students overcome the negativity easily.

Just because I am an engineer and can code, doesn't mean I can code for any company. Every company has certain criteria for meeting minimum coding standards and optimizations. I see NEET as one such important criteria for medical professionals.

In short, do we need NEET for MBBS? Why not, if it helps to maintain good quality and proper standards in critical healthcare industry!