NEET 2021 announcement likely in next 15 days: Education minister

The aspirants are eagerly waiting for the National Testing Agency (NTA) to release the time table for the entrance test. Moreover, the aspirants are worried about the syllabus and examination pattern of the NEET 2021 while at the same anticipating major changes in its mode of conduction as well.

Last month, the NTA, the exam conducting body for NEET, was looking at the possibility of conducting the NEET exam twice a year and in online mode. If implemented, this can be a big relief for candidates seeking admission to medical colleges. Asking for the same, the NTA had written to the Ministry of Health for this and sought suggestions as to whether such a possibility exists.

NEET, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is a big competitive exam, which is conducted once a year only on pen-paper mode for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses across the country. This year for NEET 2020, 13,66,945 students participated and over 15,97,435 candidates registered for it.

For NEET, there are two main stakeholders, NTA and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The syllabus is finalized by the MoHFW through an independent body. Earlier it used to be the Medical Council of India (MCI), but now that has been dissolved and hence the task falls upon the National Medical Commission (NMC). After NMC approves the syllabus, NTA takes over as the exam conducting body. The NTA role is restricted to conducting the exam, evaluating it, and declaring results.

While giving this exam, the aspirants go through a lot of stress, if the exam is conducted more than once a year, then the stress of the students will resultantly be less. Besides, with this year's academic year being very chaotic due to the coronavirus epidemic and candidates faced a lot of pressure.

More so, the Union Ministry of Education had earlier decided to hold the JEE Main Examination for admissions to engineering colleges online four times in 2021. After the announcement of the JEE Main 2021 schedule, all eyes are on National Testing Agency, NTA and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal for the announcement on NEET 2021.

The delay is evidently due to the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent postponement of Class 10th and 12th exams, but soon after the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' made the aforesaid announcement on JEE Main 2021, many medical and dental aspirants took to Twitter to seek clarity on NEET 2021 exam dates and pattern.

Read Also: With no clarity on NEET 2021 dates, aspirants remain in dark

Meanwhile, recently speaking to IndiaTV, the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said, "An announcement on the medical entrance exam date could be made in the next 10-15 days" further hinting at the possibility of conducting NEET twice a year.

On being asked whether the MBBS entrance exam will be conducted twice a year, the minister replied, "In all probability, YES. At least, the government is headed in that direction and considering the feasibility to conduct NEET twice a year."

However, no official notification regarding the announcement has been released so far. As the students eagerly await the NEET 2021 exam dates, social media has been flooded with requests by the MBBS, BDS aspirants.

Education Minister Pokhriyal has been actively engaging with students over the past months, keeping them updated with the latest exam notifications. Every time his webinar is declared, more than half a million students across the country tune into a live address broadcasted simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter with the hope that this time they might get a clue on NEET 2021 dates.

Numerous memes on NEET 2021 exam are floating on the internet expressing anger and anxiety over the delay.