Ambiguity in NEET syllabus confuses students

The NEET website mentions that students have to also study from the ‘common state board syllabus’. There is no common syllabus across state boards of our country. So, what do our children study? SUDHA SHENOY, parent

MUMBAI: Though the state’s decision to conduct admissions to health science courses based on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scores has received a positive response from medical aspirants, there seems to be a larger problem.
The candidates will still have to study the Maharashtra state board syllabus as well as the curriculum followed by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for NEET 2017. This has not gone down well with many.
“We had requested the state to either upgrade their syllabus to the national level or get exemption from NEET. Since the Supreme Court did not grant exemption, the least the government could do is focus on making preparation for the entrance exam easier for students,” said Subhash Joshi, a professor from a city-based coaching institute.
He added that students are spending more time looking for books by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) than focusing on the upcoming HSC examinations.

Even though medical aspirants no more need to appear for two separate entrance examinations for health science courses, parents have highlighted the ambiguity surrounding NEET 2017.
“The NEET website mentions that students have to depend on the NCERT syllabus as well as study the ‘common state board syllabus’. There is no common syllabus across state boards of our country. So, what do children study?” said Sudha Shenoy, a parent.
Most coaching institutes depend on NCERT textbooks as more than 70% of the examination will be based on the syllabus.
“My students are anxious as there is a lot of difference between the two curriculums. Many end up staying back for several hours to understand whatever problems they cannot solve from NCERT textbooks,” said a professor from a city-based coaching institute.

13 Dec 2016 | Mumbai | HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com n 

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