Engineering up, MBBS down?

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

This year’s engineering and MBBS results have shown a glaring contrast in tricity. While JEE results took the nation by surprise as Panchkula’s Sarvesh Mehtani secured AIR 1, the NEET results today were the poorest ever with no tricity student among top 100. In the AIIMS entrance exam also, only two tricity residents featured in top 100.

Tricity experts feel that an anti-medical trend in north India, especially tricity region, is to be blamed. More and more students are opting for non-medical in Class XI instead of medical stream. The top scorers in Class XII are opting for non-medical in the region, which has given a boost to non-medical entrances and had an opposite effect on medical entrances.

However, even the AIIMS entrance toppers, who had AIR 40 and AIR 65, respectively, could not break into the top 100 in NEET. The reason behind this is that starting this year, all the states have come under NEET. Thus, for the same marks, the ranks have been pushed back. As compared to seven lakh candidates who appeared for NEET last year, 11 lakh appeared this year in the country.

Dr Arvind Goyal, who runs a coaching institute in city says, “There is some trend in this region that most of the students opt for non medical and thus engineering.” The number of students appearing for medical entrances is around 1,000. However, it is around five times more for non-medical entrances.

Experts say that engineering offers a shorter and easier route towards financial stability as compared to being a doctor. This also affects a student’s choice as after four years of engineering from a good institute can get him a high paying job. However, in case of medical, five years of MBBS and then MD may also not be enough as he has to get experience.