Mumbai: Students applying for post-graduate (PG) courses in medicine have claimed there are no seats in the Open category due to the reservation. Students and parents complain instead of the merit-based admission, the state has increased the quota percentage on the basis of castes.
The Maharashtra government has given reservation to Marathas, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes or Castes (OBC). The cut-off rank for the PG for the open category students is 9 to 386 while for the reserved category it is 69 to 1,582. The students claim it is difficult to secure admission, as there are fewer seats in the open category.
Admissions for courses like medical should purely be merit-based, claim the parents and their wards. Talking to the FPJ, a student, Shardha Chaudhary, said, “Medical is a tough field, which comprises scientific studies and technical information. Admissions to such courses should be based purely on merit, as our scores can define our understanding of the subject.”
Parents say the caste system is an old practice and now the economic and social backgrounds have improved. Ranjan Mehta, a parent told FPJ, “The financial conditions of people belonging to lower castes have improved over the years. We cannot stick to the rudimemtary social norms, which are now irrelevant. It is unjustice to the students, who don’t have any social, caste or economic reservation.”
Quota provides financial privileges and also helps the poor secure admission easily, according to students. Nishant Jagtap, a medical student, said, “The fees for students under quota is already little, compared to the open category. Now, there is a fight for seats during the admissions, too. Medicine course has high-end fees and we should be given equal opportunity to prove our abilities.”
