Mandatory entrance test choking Karnataka’s medical seat blockers
- Activities of touts selling medical college seats have reportedly stopped.
- Karnataka has the highest number of medical college seats in the country.
- Private colleges remain divided on the nature of counselling for PG courses.
FollowIt is a routine familiar to many families of those wanting to pursue an education in medicine. If the “entrance rank” doesn’t make the cut, reach out to an elaborate network of people who will ensure a seat in a medical college, most likely in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. All for the payment of several lakhs or even crores, of course!
However now that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has been made mandatory for all admissions to MBBS and MD courses, these “seat blockers” are finding it tough to survive. The Deccan Chronicle on January 13 reported that the activities of seat-blocking agents selling slots have come to a complete halt in Karnataka.
Private medical colleges are a major business in Karnataka. In June 2016, The Times of India reported that Karnataka had the highest number of medical college seats in India: 7,355 MBBS seats and 3,646 postgraduate seats. Little more than a third of Karnataka’s 53 medical colleges are government run.
The sheer number of seats and high demand for medical courses has meant that colleges often “sell” some seats to a network, often years in advance. This network, involving touts, academics and government officials, is spread across the country, with some touts even being allocated a certain number of seats to sell to prospective students.
Because of confusion over the implementation of NEET in 2016, hundreds of students who had paid for MBBS seats at private colleges lost their admissions as they were unable to clear the examination, a tout told the Deccan Chronicle. As several people lost money after making advance payments, parents are reportedly more careful this year. The new regulations have also hit private colleges hard: owners of medical colleges who previously made profits of up to ₹5 crore a year have to make do with far less.
However, NEET alone may not be enough to end malpractices. The Hindu recently reported that deemed universities in Karnataka are opposed to the idea of holding common counseling for PG courses, while minority institutions have agreed to cooperate if they are allowed to hike fees. The NEET PG results are scheduled to be announced on January 15.
