Mixed Opinion Regarding Common Medical And Engineering Entrance Test

There has been a mixed response from private professional colleges regarding the issue of having a common entrance examination for admission into medical and engineering colleges.

There has been a mixed response from private professional colleges regarding the issue of having a common entrance examination for admission into medical and engineering colleges . Few educational institutions are under the opinion that the admission should be based on higher secondary marks alone.

Following the judgment of the Supreme court that private colleges have the right to decide upon admission on their own, an entity called All India Medical and Engineering Colleges Association (AIMECA) in Chennai has invited applications for a common entrance examination to be held on May 27 and 28, 2006.

It has further been claimed that all private professional colleges in the country are part of the body and admission to private colleges will be on the basis of the rank obtained in the examination. According to the notification, those interested to take up the test would be required to pay a sum of Rs.1000 towards examination fee charges.

Associations of private professional colleges in Andhra and Maharashtra have however voiced their resistance against the examination plan and have even issued a statement saying that they do not form a part of the AIMECA.

Association of Managements of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra even issued a warning that the AIMECA examination is a fraud and asked the students to keep off it.

The recently formed All India Federation of Professional Unaided Colleges (AIFPUC) claimed that none of the colleges in AP is part of the AIMECA and that no common entrance test will be held admission in the state. It has been felt that conducting such examinations is not economically feasible and moreover, a foolproof system cannot be ensured.

The AIFPUC officials even consulted Union HRD Minster, Arjun Singh and suggested that the admission should be based on their higher secondary performance rather than in the common entrance test.

It is high time the officials involved in conducting the entrance exam come to a sensible agreement keeping in mind the psychological trauma faced by both parents and students alike.