Medical aspirants from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed an online petition demanding a local center for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is the single national medical entrance examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses in India. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the exam every year.
The NEET is scheduled to be held on July 26. The exam was scheduled to be held in May, however it was postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
NEET is a compulsory exam for taking admission to undergraduate medical courses in the country including the admission to MBBS course in AIIMS, New Delhi, JIPMER and all AIIMS like institutions.
NEET is held in offline mode where a candidate has to answer on the specially designed machine gradable sheet using ball point pen.
The exam is open to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and these candidates have to take the exam in India only.
As per reports, out of over 10 lakh candidates who have registered for NEET this year 300 candidates are from UAE.
“Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 all over the world, the flights have been disrupted and even the limited window of travel opportunities come along with compulsory quarantine. In this situation, it is impossible for the students of UAE or GCC to travel to India to appear in the proposed NEET Exam(26th July),” the petition, which has already been signed by over 909 people, reads.
“We sincerely request the National Testing Agency to arrange for a test center in UAE so that students can safely take the exam without risking their life,” it adds.
