HYDERABAD: The ambiguity regarding the fate of medical students from Telugu states with respect to NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) for post-graduate (PG) and under-graduate (UG) admissions, is over. They cannot get seats in top government medical colleges in the rest of the country in the convener quota. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states as well as Jammu and Kashmir have been excluded from the national pool for NEET PG-2017 to be held next month. The Centre has made its stand clear for the PG entrance exam and the same procedure will be followed for NEET UG-2017 likely to be held in May.

Students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states still have to write the national entrance exam for realising their MBBS dream. However, they have to be content with seats in government colleges like Osmania, Gandhi or Kakatiya (Telangana) and Andhra, Guntur or Kurnool medical colleges (in case of Andhra Pradesh). This is due to Article 371 (D) of the Constitution that safeguards education and employment opportunities for locals of three regions-OU, AU and SVU (in the erstwhile AP state). While 85 per cent of seats are for locals, the remaining 15 per cent is open to students of all the three regions.

Until this Presidential Order is amended, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states can neither join the national pool to get medical seats elsewhere nor offer seats to students from other states. Telugu students can seek admission in any leading private college in the country, including in both states, under the management quota, which comes to 50 per cent, including the NRI category.

It may be recalled that NEET ranking will also form the basis for these admissions. A student from Hyderabad can join a top private college in Tamil Nadu or Maharashtra or any other state of his choice. There were doubts in the minds of students preparing for the exam whether they would be allowed into the national pool or not. But NEET PG exam guidelines cleared all such doubts, according to experts.

Kaloji Health University VC Prof.Karunaker Reddy said that Article 371 (D) and Section 95 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (which provides equal opportunities for quality higher education to all students in successor states for a period of 10 years) have proved to be the stumbling blocks to join the national pool.

No national pool till 2024: Experts

According to experts, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states are unlikely to join the national pool until 2024. Along with Article 371 (D), Section 95 of the AP Reorganisation Act also needs to be looked at. As things stand, students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are being given admission in the successor states due to the special provisions included under the Reorganisation Act.

“This provision will be in force for ten years (2014-2024). If this is amended, AP students will stand to lose study opportunities in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad. At this juncture AP authorities are unlikely to take any step in this regard. So we are assuming this provision will continue until its full duration of 10 years,” a higher official from Telangana government said.

Unless there is a major development, Telangana will continue to fill medical seats in convener category with 85 per cent quota for locals and the remaining 15 per cent quota with students from Andhra Pradesh. Likewise AP will give 85 per cent seats to its locals and the remaining 15 per cent to students from Telangana. After these constitutional provisions are amended, both Telangana and AP can offer the 15 per cent of seats to students from any part of India. Telangana’s Advocate General K. Rama-krishna Reddy said that the amendments could be sought only if both state governments mounted pressure on the Centre.