Hundreds of students who have secured admission in MBBS, BDS, Ayush and other courses after appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET - UG) have been doing the rounds of the revenue offices to obtain the academic ‘Gap Certificate’.
NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada, and Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Warangal, insist on submitting this certificate from the students who miss their academic year / years after passing the Intermediate or equivalent courses.
This situation arises for the students who do not get a seat in any medical college and, therefore, opt to take long-term coaching to try their luck the following year.
The revenue officials are required to certify that the student concerned has not done any other course during the gap period.
However, the revenue officials say that it is not possible for them to issue such a certificate as they do not know anything about the student’s academic background, coaching, and other details.
Though a few Intermediate colleges where the students undergo long-term coaching are issuing the Gap Certificate, the medical and dental colleges are not accepting them, but insisting on the certificate issued by the tahsildar basing on the documents provided by the Intermediate colleges and coaching centers.
There are also scores of students who prepare for the NEET at their homes, and who may not be able to produce any proof to obtain the certificate.
“The universities should exempt the students from submitting the Gap Certificate,” says Students’ Federation of India leader P. Ramamohan Rao.
“It is nothing but harassing the students and their parents. A few influential parents may obtain the certificate for their wards, but the students with rural background are clueless as to how to obtain it,” says Aam Admi Party (AAP) convener K. Dayanand.
‘Relax norm’
The universities should relax the norm and ensure hassle-free admission for the students, says a parent.
“A college in Telangana, where my son gained admission, insists on producing the Gap Certificate in a few weeks, failing which it has threatened to cancel the admission. Now, I am doing the rounds of the tahsildar office to obtain it before the deadline ends,” says A. Satyanarayana of Vizianagaram.
More than 10,000 students from Andhra Pradesh secure admission in MBBS and BDS courses in various colleges located in the 13 districts of the State. The admission process is expected to be completed by April second week. The students of Andhra region also secure seats in colleges in Telangana under the 15% quota provided to them under the A.P. Reorganisation Act.
