MONDAY, JULY 08, 2024
Binayak Datta
The single biggest turbulence occupying minds of Countrymen last month, could safely be the questions surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Tests (NEET-UG) 2024. I think the importance stems more from the fact that this concerns Quality of Doctors who will treat the India of Tomorrow.
India has just around 13 lakh allopathic doctors according to the National Medical Commission and around 50,000 Medical Seats in Government Colleges and around 20,000 in Private Colleges. With a doctor-availability % of even 80, it could perhaps take completely different ways of looking at bridging the enormous gap judging by our population base. I’ll come back on this, towards the end of this column.
Let’s for a moment recapitulate the FOUR Issues facing us from the NEET-UG: a) The Relevance, Suitability and Integrity of the Syllabus and the Questions generating therefrom and the applicability to Admission Seeking bright teens with the best IQ levels in this Country, b) Security and Confidentiality in Logistics, c) Administration of the Test and Operational Policies eg. for “compensation” of unforeseen interruptions in Tests ;d) Practices World-wide and e) my take, joining the FOUR Dots.
First: Relevance, Suitability and Integrity: I went through the NEET-UG syllabus in great details from the WebSite. I am lost! We should actually be looking for the Student’s aptitude for a Top-Notch Career in Medicine, rather than looking for his proficiency in school subjects, which are already proven with his High School scores. This type of questions-answers on a well laid-down course will not only be Question-Leak Friendly, they will ALSO be Cram-Friendly, expertly aided by some of the “Coaching” Assisters. Should we not view the student as a future Doctor and hunt for his strengths that point to his aptitude for it?
If you see the course followed in the UCAT (the similar tests in the UK), Students are asked to respond on Five Sections, viz: Verbal Reasoning (21 minutes), Quantitative Reasoning, (25 minutes), Abstract Reasoning (12 minutes), Decision Making (31 minutes) and Situational Judgements (26 minutes). The Theme and Backdrop for the questions can be a Lab or a Clinic or an Operation-Theatre but it’s important how this intelligent student deems himself fit for the Hippocratic Oath he’s going to swear tomorrow!
In the US for example in the MCAT Examinations, the stress is in NOT the PCB (Physics Chemistry, Biology only, that’s taken for granted in the Schools back Home) the stress is on the FUTURE DOCTOR in him. The sections here are on: a) Physics, Chemistry and Biology Knowledge; b) Critical Thinking; c) Problem Solving Abilities.
I think in this juncture of their lives, it is important to transit from Memorising and Mediocrity to Intelligence and Creativity. Like all excellence they cannot be “leaked out” nor “crammed”!
In my view following from other MCQ tests, each block of MCQs MUST have a pen-and-paper box and a short and precise answer in longhand filled up, consistency-checked and evaluated by AI-driven logic, with explanations.
Second: Security and Confidentiality in Logistics: The requirements of stringency in security would be eased as there can never be “suggested” or “leaked” answers for a response on, say creativity! That said there has to be in place a periodic audit and sign off on adherence to SOPs and Codes of Deliveries.
Third: Administration of the Tests: I have a little remark (as a lay elder), to make on the Governing Structure at the National Testing Agency, the Premier Agency has been delivering these Tests and presenting Results, for the last seven years. Whereas the best faculties from IITs, IIMs, the IISER, the JNU, the IGNOU and the NAAC are represented I was expecting more Medical School Faculties on Board as well. At present there is just one representation only.
Secondly, the Policies particularly those for compensation for unforeseen interruptions and tie-breakers have to be transparent, hard-coded and easily understandable with clear logic, instead of referring to precedences with wobbly relevance.
My third take here is a Coaching Board under the aegis of the NTA be formed and they shall be tasked to do a 2-month compulsory online capsule for home-preparations for the three-and-half-hour test. The idea is to convey the basic sense of the Test, NOT to suggest probable blank-dots to blacken! These lectures should be chargeable at a highly subsidised rate, say Rs 500 for the course so that no additional burden faces the already harrowed parents on bearing costs of the test, travel and stay.
Important: Private “Coaching” Assisters should be debarred from any NEET-UG services.
Fourth: In order that we now try fixing the Gap between number of Doctors and number of Patients as also number of Doctors and number of prospective students, and I said we take a relook at the subject. Ever since we opened up the Higher Education Sector in 1995 and again in 2010 not much response from Foreign Universities have come in. We have had tie-ups with Reputed Foreign Universities thru our IITs, IIS, and some well-known private universities, we didn’t quite find their campuses yet in India.
I heard Deakin and Wollongong both from Australia, will shortly setup their campuses in the GIFT City in Gujrat. The latest plans are not yet known in public domain.
I think also, the ‘Top 500’ limit may be expanded for a start and autonomy may be codified, adherence audited and improved upon to start with. This will greatly save brain drain, national wealth outflow and above all, pose a booster for R&D activities and Public Works Studies Internationally!
And before I part: Ninety years ago, during a passing out programme in the Medical College Calcutta, Dr BC Roy (then Mayor of Calcutta) had said to pass-outs… “My young friends, you are Soldiers in the battle for freedom from want, fear, ignorance, frustration and helplessness: By dint of hard work for the Country rendered in a spirit of selfless service, may you march ahead with hope and courage and remember, in this dynamic world you must go forward, or else you will be left behind!”
(Binayak Datta is a finance professional)
