Cancel entrance test: JSU

SHILLONG, JUNE 9: Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) has demanded immediately cancellation of the proposed Meghalaya State Medical Entrance Test (MSMET) for students who wants to pursue MBBS and BDS under the state quota.

“We demand that the government immediately cancel the proposed entrance test and allot the state quota for MBBS and BDS in the same procedure as it had been doing for decades,” JSU president Rikut N Parien said in a letter to the state health minister AL Hek on Monday.

Hek had earlier informed that the Meghalaya State Medical Entrance Test (MSMET) will be conducted on July and the date for written test will tentatively be on 12 of the month. He said, the government instead of announcing the entrance test prior to the announcement of the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) results, however made the announcement after the result where declared and the union suspects it is done with some malicious intentions in order to favour some students.

According to Parein, there might arise controversies after the entrance test which will may question the authenticity and transparency of the test. Claiming that it had sought the opinion of various parents, guardians and students from Jaintia hills, he said, “They have expressed doubts about the transparency of this proposed entrance test.”

Parien said that the union is of the opinion that if the government intends to conduct such test in the future it should make announcement months before the declaration of the results. He added that the government should base such allotments on the merits of the students from an entrance test conducted at the national level for pursuing medical related studies.”

Hek had earlier informed over 500 aspiring candidates have taken the application forms for the entrance test and compete for the 56 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree) seats under the state quota.

Of the 56 seats, nine seats are from the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), he said.

The JSU has threatened to take other course of action if the government went ahead and conduct the entrance test which he said is against the interest of the public.- By Our Reporter