The National Board of Examination (NBE) has in principle decided to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) for post-graduate (PG) medical students with a condition that the NBE should be given total “freedom” to conduct the exam.
After the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) expressed its inability to conduct the exam citing lack of manpower, the Union health ministry had approached the NBE to conduct the exam for them ealry this year. Sources said that while the governing body of the NBE in principle decided to conduct the exam, they have also asked the government that they should be given full freedom as far as the “chosing the method of the exam, setting up the question papers, centres etc are concerned,” sources said.
Officials believe that “freedom” is needed for conducting the exam as involvement of too many agencies could lead to leakages. “The NBE is an independent body and would want to work like that. There should be a water-tight system. The exam should be handled by one organisation so that there are no leakages. One agency should be given the freedom.”
The NBE has also asked the government to come out with “clear-cut” responsibilities, and that it should be documented for the agencies so that there is no duplication and confusion. “There could be a MoU between the agencies involved so that there is no confusion,” sources said.