Odisha: 15% quota for govt school students in medicine, engineering

NEW DELHI: In a major boost to government school students in Odisha, the state government has approved 15 percent reservation to government school students in state medical and engineering colleges, the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik announced on Wednesday. Government school students who have passed Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations from a school under Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha, are eligible for the state reservation.

Announcing the decision on social media, Naveen Patnaik wrote:”To remove the inequalities and to facilitate entry of talented students of Govt High Schools in Engineering and Medical courses in #Odisha , the State Govt has notified reservation of 15% seats in medical and engineering colleges of state.”

The government notification adds that exams like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medicine and Joint Entrance Examination for engineering (JEE Main) require coaching which government school students are unable to afford leaving them at a disadvantage. The NEET-UG is the only entrance exam for MBBS and allied courses in both state and central institutions.

Coaching for NEET, JEE Main

The reservation will be applicable to medical courses like MBBS, BOS, BHMS, BAMS, BSMS and BUMS and engineering courses such as BTech, BE and BArch.

The decision has been taken based on the recommendation of a high-power committee which suggested reservation of seats for the students of government high schools in the engineering and medical courses of the state.

The Odisha government notification states: “It has come to notice that the students studying in government high schools are found to be at a disadvantageous position compared to the counterparts in private schools while appearing in entrance examinations like National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and JEE (Joint Entrance Examinations) for their career growth, as they do not have the access, nor the economic capacity to avail coaching for medical and engineering entrance examination for which the success rate in the said entrance examinations is not proportionate to the number; and whereas, in order to remove the inequalities and to facilitate entry of students of Government High schools in Engineering and Medical Courses of the State, a High-Power Committee.”

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