Jan Swasthya Abhiyan seeks review of NEET, calls for reforms in medical admissions system

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), a national public health network, has asked the Union government to review the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and make major changes to the medical admission system. In a statement, the organisation said the current NEET-based admission process is too centralised and has not achieved the goals for which it was introduced.

The organisation said the government should carry out an independent review of NEET's implementation over the last 10 years, with the involvement of state governments and student representatives. It also asked the government to make the review report public to check whether NEET has achieved its goals and to consider other medical admission systems.

Calling the current system "a system in crisis", JSA said the centralised admission process has increased commercialisation, reduced the role of states in medical admissions, and made it harder for students from rural and poor backgrounds to get admission. It also said that repeated NEET paper leaks show there are serious problems with the system, not just one-time incidents.

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JSA seeks NEET review, reforms

The statement said the "one nation, one exam" approach has not solved India's education challenges. Instead, it said that too much centralisation and commercialisation have created new problems rather than fixing the existing ones.

JSA said that since health is mainly the responsibility of state governments under the Constitution, states should have a bigger role in deciding how students are admitted to medical colleges. It said state governments are better able to design admission systems based on local healthcare needs and regional differences.

The organisation also criticised the heavy use of multiple-choice question (MCQ)-based entrance exams. It said these exams encourage coaching, rote learning, and test-taking skills instead of clinical knowledge, communication skills, and community-based learning. The statement added that this approach does not match the goals of the National Health Policy 2017.

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JSA's key proposals

Among its suggestions, JSA said NEET should be used only for admissions to central government medical colleges and a small number of seats in state medical colleges. It said states should be allowed to create their own admission systems. The organisation also suggested giving importance to both Class 12 board exam marks and entrance test scores during admissions. It further recommended replacing the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a public institution set up through a law passed by Parliament.

The organisation also asked for more transparency in NEET-PG counselling, stricter rules to control fees in private medical colleges, and steps to reduce the influence of coaching centres. It also said the Class 12 board exam performance should be considered in medical admissions to give more importance to school education.

JSA appealed to organisations working in education, healthcare, and student rights to take part in a national discussion on the future of medical admissions. It said India needs an admission system that gives equal opportunities to students, strengthens public healthcare, respects the role of state governments, and prepares doctors who can serve society better.