New Delhi|HL
From next academic session AYUSH courses will be conducted through the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The Central government took decision to standardise the admission procedure and attract meritorious students to the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) stream.
The Ministry of AYUSH has sent advisories to all state governments in this regard.
“The demand for Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Naturopathy and Unani medicines and Yoga have increased worldwide and the number of students pursuing such courses have also risen in past years. So there is a need to maintain standard of education in this stream,” said Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik .
He said that with the introduction of NEET, private examinations would not be conducted to fill seats in any of the AYUSH colleges.
There are close to 500 institutions offering courses in Ayush system, and the government has plans to increase the numbers, given the huge interest of people in traditional medicines.
“Our ministry has been focusing on the quality of AYUSH education, and we have advised state governments to closely monitor and ensure the quality of education is being imparted in AYUSH colleges. Introduction of a test on the lines of NEET is a step in that direction,” said Naik.
