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  Government working on single CET for medicine, engineering

Government working on single CET for medicine, engineering

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Jan 31, 2016, 5:58 am IST
Updated : Jan 31, 2016, 5:58 am IST

The higher and technical education department is hard at work to prepare the format of the single Common Entrance Test for admission to medical and engineering colleges.

The higher and technical education department is hard at work to prepare the format of the single Common Entrance Test for admission to medical and engineering colleges. As per the governmentresolution issued last year, the decision to have a single test will ensure that students do not have to appear for multiple tests thus reducing the stress and anxiety that students underwent while appearing for the two tests separately.

Incidentally, the department is also working on preparing the format of the Common Entrance Test for admission to law colleges that will be implemented for the first time from the academic year 2016-17.

In 2015, the state had gone back to the MH-CET format for admission to medical colleges that had been discontinued in 2012 after the Centre introduced the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

However, as the Supreme Court had scrapped NEET the state conducted the exam as per the old format but based on the syllabus meant for NEET. Similarly, the state had accepted the scores of the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to engineering colleges. After the state received representations from various quarters complaining of multiple exams putting a strain on the students, higher and technical education minister Vinod Tawde announced that a single CET would be held for admission to medical and engineering colleges. A resolution to that effect was issued in August last year.

Speaking about the same, Dr Shailendra Deolankar, joint director higher education confirmed that work on preparing the format of both the single CET for admission to medical and engineering colleges as well as that of law was underway in full swing. “Two committees have been formed for the same and have been asked to submit the format after following the guidelines as soon as possible. The formats should be ready by mid-February,” said Dr Deolankar.

Under the single CET format, the physics and chemistry papers will remain common while those students aspiring to secure admission in medical colleges will have to opt for Biology as the third paper while those looking for admission to engineering colleges will have to opt for Mathematics. The committee is being aided by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research as well as the Directorate of Technical Education as they conducted the CETs for both medical and engineering respectively before the state adopted the NEET and JEE main scores.

For admission to law colleges, the committee is working on the format for both the three and five year courses. Sources say that the committee is ensuring that the same is in line with the rules of the Bar Council of India.

Dr Deolankar said that once the formats were ready, the state would decide on the bodies that would be entrusted with conducting the CETs.