MHT-CET 2011 is NOT cancelled due to single entrance test for MBBS

Times of India has carried out an article in its prime pages about a single entrance test for MBBS and MD from 2011. I have already started receiving emails from concerned parents and students about this issue. In February this year, the HRD Ministry had announced its plans to hold a single entrance test for medical, engineering, etc. from the year 2013.

This decision is taken by the MCI and not the Supreme Court. Even though the Union Ministry of Health has accepted it, the Supreme Court can thrash it any moment. MHT-CET(and many other State CETs) is being conducted as per the ruling of Supreme Court, and not primarily as per resolutions of MCI or any Ministry. In Feb 2009, few Ministers and Bureaucrats from Maharashtra had made careless and irresponsible statements to the press that MHT-CET had been scrapped. Even though MHT-CET was not scrapped, the people who made those irresponsible statements never followed-up the same. All they did was setup a panel to find ways of doing away with the MHT-CET, but the panel had no outcome.

With specific reference to Maharashtra, a single entrance test is not possible because that there is a lot of difference in the syllabus of the State Board and other boards such as CBSE, ICSE for MBBS entrance. MD/MS entrance may be converted into a single test, but there is no chance of MBBS-entrance being converted.

The proposed single entrance test talks about only MBBS course at UG level. What about BDS, BAMS, BHMS, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, etc?

There is already one national entrance test called as CBSE PMT, or more popularly All India PMT. Not many are aware, but States can opt-out of the existing CBSE PMT scheme. For ex: Andhra Pradesh and J&K are not a part of the CBSE PMT(All India PMT) scheme. The existing CBSE PMT is only for medical(MBBS) and dental(BDS) courses, but not for ayurvedic, homeopathic, etc. courses

So it is likely that the single CET will be introduced in others states where CBSE syllabus is followed, but definitely not here in Maharashtra.

On many occasions, it has been observed that such blabber from Ministers and Govt. departments only serves to cause confusion, uncertainty and mental agony to the concerned parties without any solid outcome or follow-up. Ministers and Govt. departments have a bad habit of announcing mere “proposals” as “final decisions” in a high-sounding language and fancying themselves as the Apex authority. In Feb 2009 when there was a lot of chaos on scrapping MHT-CET, it is not known if they even approached the Supreme Court with the proposal, but some Ministers felt an compulsive urge to open their mouth loud and release misleading definitive statements in the press. So this incident could also be just one more of those.