Education News This Week: NEET reforms; PG counselling dates; JEE Main registration starts

NEW DELHI: Developments in the world of medical education dominated this week’s education highlights.

After weeks of delay, the central Medical Counselling Committee finally announced the schedule for NEET PG counselling 2024 as well as certain policy changes. The committee appointed to suggest reforms in NEET UG suggested a host of major reforms too.

Finally, a medical college took strict action against 18 senior MBBS students for ragging .

The registration for JEE Main 2025 and AEEE – both for engineering – has also opened and results of two Chartered Accountancy (CA) exams were declared.

Here’s a roundup of key educational updates from this week.

NEET PG 2024 schedule out; state merit list; FMGE December registration

After much delay, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) released the schedule for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG) counselling 2024. While choice-filling starts from November 8, registration ends on November 17. Allotment results are due on November 20 and classes are scheduled to begin from December 20.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), meanwhile, has decided to create state-specific merit lists for NEET-PG 2024.

States like Haryana and Goa, which don't offer additional incentive marks to in-service candidates, will maintain their previous merit list preparation system. State authorities are advised to complete one-time registration by November 5 and submit eligible candidates' data by November 6, 2024.

NBEMS will provide state-wise merit lists within a week of receiving data. The decision will be published on MCC and NMC websites and communicated to state authorities.

Full Report | MCC NEET PG counselling schedule 2024 out at mcc.nic.in; apply for round 1 by November 17

The NBEMS has also commenced the registration process for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) December 2024 session. Eligible candidates can apply on the official website, natboard.edu.in

Fewer attempts, hybrid mode: Panel proposes NEET reforms

A high-level committee has proposed significant reforms to the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), following this year's paper leak incident . The seven-member panel, headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, submitted its recommendations on November 1.

Key proposals include implementing a hybrid examination model, where question papers would be transmitted digitally while students use OMR sheets for answers. The committee also suggested adopting a multiple-stage format similar to JEE, along with limiting the number of attempts candidates can make.

To strengthen examination security, the panel recommended reducing dependency on outsourced services and private test centres. Instead, the National Testing Agency (NTA) should expand its permanent staff and increase the number of examination centres under direct control.

Full report | NEET in two stages, fewer attempts, digital question papers, hybrid mode, suggests panel: Reports

JEE Main registration begins; tie-break rule, city count changes

The National Testing Agency (NTA) commenced the Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main 2025) registration process on October 25. As per the schedule, candidates will be able to register on the new official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in, till November 22, 2024.

The JEE Main 2025 session 1 is scheduled on January 22 and session 2 between April 1 and 15.

The NTA has updated the tie-breaking rules for JEE Main 2025. Rankings for candidates with identical scores will now depend solely on exam performance, eliminating age and application number as factors.

If performance is equal, candidates will receive the same rank. There are no age restrictions, and candidates who completed Class 12 in 2023, 2024, or are taking it in 2025 can apply.

The NTA has also reduced the number of exam cities for the exam, decreasing the total from 300 to 284. Internationally, the number of exam cities has dropped from 24 to 14.

Full report | JEE Main 2025 registration begins; exam dates, eligibility criteria

Notable changes include the removal of Lakhimpur in Assam and a decrease in Odisha from 23 to 17 cities. Tamil Nadu has lost three cities but added two, while Andhra Pradesh saw a significant reduction with 12 cities cut. Conversely, Telangana gained two cities.

Full report | JEE Main 2025 Eligibility Criteria: What is state code of eligibility? Here’s list of qualifying exams

CA inter, foundation result 2024 announced; women rule

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) announced the CA Foundation and CA Intermediate results for the September 2024 session on October 30. As per the results, while the CA Foundation 2024 pass percentage is 19.67%, the CA Inter 2024 pass rate for both groups combined dropped to 5.66%.

Parami Umesh Parekh from Mumbai topped the CA Intermediate September 2024 exam with 80.67%. This year, all top three ranks were secured by female candidates.

Tanya Gupta from Chennai claimed the second position, and Vidhi Jain from New Delhi came third. For those unsatisfied with their results, ICAI offers options for mark verification and answer sheet inspection. The CA Intermediate January 2025 exams are scheduled from January 11 to 21.

Full report | CA Inter result September 2024 declared; pass percentage drops to 5.66%

Tripura Medical College ragging: 18 students booked

Tripura Medical College filed a police complaint on October 27 against 18 senior MBBS students for ragging their juniors.

Anti-ragging NGO Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) reported that seniors coerced juniors into humiliating acts, such as shaving their heads and forcing female students to propose and sing.

An internal inquiry confirmed that the accused threatened and abused newly-admitted students, particularly those from Scheduled Tribes. The college imposed a collective fine of Rs 10 lakh, suspended the students from hostels for a year, and mandated mobile phone monitoring for six months.

The incident comes in the wake of the suspension of two second-year MBBS students of the Grant Government Medical College who were allegedly found drunk and were accused of ragging a junior on October 18. In September, first-year PG students of Odisha's Berhampur University also alleged that their seniors interrogated them in their hostel and didn't let them sleep.

Three students of a private University in the Kandaghat subdivision of Himachal Pradesh's Solan were also arrested last month in connection with the alleged ragging of a first-year MBA student, police said.

Full report | Tripura Medical College files police complaint against 18 students, imposes Rs 10 lakh fine for ragging

Engineering Admissions: AEEE; KEA’s Aadhaar mandate

Amrita Vishwavidyapeetham has announced the dates for the Amrita Entrance Examination – Engineering (AEEE) 2025, set for February 1 and 2. The registration deadline has been extended to January 20 from January 7.

Meanwhile, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has opened registration for the Manipal Entrance Test (MET) 2025, with applications available online at manipal.edu. The MET registration deadline is March 15, but the exam date is yet to be announced.

Full report | BTech Admissions 2025 LIVE: AEEE exam date out, registration extended; JEE Mains, MET, VITEEE updates

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) plans to implement Aadhaar-linked registration for students seeking professional course seats next year, aiming to eliminate seat blocking.

KEA has submitted this proposal to the Karnataka e-governance department, which supports it and has forwarded it to the Government of India for approval. The system aims to enhance authentication and prevent registration fraud, enabling exam-related information to be sent directly to students’ mobile phones.

Additionally, KEA aims to introduce Aadhaar registration for recruitment exams to combat impersonation and other malpractices, following a recent seat-blocking scandal.

Full report | Karnataka Examination Authority proposes Aadhaar-liked registration for all exams

Education News: Special stories from Careers360

30,000 BTech seats in Karnataka vacant due to fee, intake hike: Following three rounds of COMEDK counselling in Karnataka, 18,276 general seats in private colleges and 13,089 in government colleges remain unfilled. The increase in intake and rising admission fees – from Rs 14,000 to Rs 45,000 – are key factors.

Students argue that these changes affect low-income families, leading to a decline in enrollment and educational accessibility.

Full report | Over 30,000 BTech seats in Karnataka vacant following surge in fee, intake

US, Germany more popular among foreign students: IDP survey: A recent IDP Education survey indicates that international student interest in traditional destinations like the UK, Australia, and Canada is declining, while the US and Germany are gaining popularity.

Stricter visa regulations and higher costs are driving students to seek more accessible options. The survey found that 66% of students are considering multiple countries with a significant rise in interest for affordable and flexible study destinations.

Full report | Study Abroad: US, Germany more popular among foreign students; Canada, UK lose appeal, shows IDP survey

Rethinking research assessments in the age of AI writing: AI writing tools are reshaping how we evaluate student learning, enhancing productivity while raising concerns about academic integrity. Recent research indicates AI can support students in areas like idea generation and editing.

Innovative approaches like multimodal and longitudinal theses, as well as collaborative wiki-theses, offer richer insights into research processes and critical thinking, ensuring a more holistic evaluation of student understanding.

Full report | Time for the ‘wiki-thesis’: Rethinking research assessments in the age of AI writing

Library set up by IIT Delhi alumni helps students clear JEE Main, NEET: The Government Senior Secondary School library in Pahari, Haryana, stands out with its air-conditioned rooms, separate sections for men and women, eight computers, printers, and a collection of 13,000 books. Established by the IIT Delhi Alumni Association in 2019, it provides free access to essential resources for students and job aspirants, significantly boosting local educational opportunities.

Full report | Library set up by IIT Delhi alumni helps students clear JEE Main, NEET, government job exams

‘NMC’s new MBBS curriculum can harm 3.6 crore Indians’: The NMC’s revised Competency Based Medical Curriculum (CBME) has faced criticism for excluding disability competencies and LGBTQ references.

Air Cmde (Dr) Sanjay Sharma (retd), CEO and managing director of Association for Transgender Health in India (ATHI) – a Delhi-based organisation which has been opposing the NMC guidelines spoke to Careers360 on how the new guidelines suggest the NMC is “misinformed”.

Full report | ‘Gross negligence’: NMC’s new MBBS curriculum guidelines can harm 3.6 crore Indians