he Undergraduate Medical Board, operating as an autonomous body under the National Medical Commission (NMC), has finalised the NEET UG 2024 syllabus, instead of the National Testing Agency (NTA) this year. A significant aspect of this revision is the reduction in the number of chapters, which have been streamlined from 97 to 79. The changes encompass modifications, additions, and omissions across Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects. Specifically, nine chapters have be- en removed from the Chemistry section, and six chapters have been re- moved from Biology.
NEET UG 2024 will be conducted on May 5, 2024. In Chemistry, the NMC has deleted the following chapters - State of Matter, Hydrogen Thes Block Elements, Environmental Chemistry, The Solid State, Sur- face Chemistry, General Principles & Processes of Isolation of Elements, Polymers, and Chemistry in Everyday life. In Biology, NMC has deleted the following chapters - Transport in Plants, Mineral Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption, Re- production in Organisms, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production, Environmental Issues. The NMC has also added five sub-topics in Physics and Biology.
"Syllabus revisions, such as those seen in NEET 2024 by the NMC, aim to align content with current educational and medical practices. Reducing syllabi helps ease the burden on students, allowing them to focus on essential concepts. Syllabus reductions can be part of an effort to streamline the curriculum and make it more focused. This can help students develop a deeper understanding of core concepts without being overwhelmed by an excessive amount of material, says Dr Somashekhar SP, chairman - Medical Advisory Board, Aster DM Health- care-GCC & India.
In view of several suicide cases among young engineering and medical aspirants, the reduction in syllabus will help ease the burden on students, a senior health ministry official tells Education Times. "It is -worth noting that this year's NEET syllabus, as formulated by the NMC, now aligns with the JEE Main 2024 syllabus. The move reflects a deliberate effort by the NMC to fine-tune the examination framework, potentially impacting how students pre- pare for these crucial medical entrance exams in the coming year," says Dr Somashekhar.
In previous years, the NTA was releasing the NEET syllabus. But, this year the NMC has revised and released the NEET 2024 syllabus. "As for why the NTA was not involved, this would depend on the specific decisions and arrangements made by the relevant authorities. Changes in examination conducting bodies could be due to various reasons, such as organisational restructuring, policy decisions, or changes in the regulatory framework," says Dr Somashekhar.
Nabin Karki, national academic director, Medical, Aakash BYJU's, tells Education Times that multiple factors are considered while revising the syllabus. "Once the concept of rationalised NCERT was introduced with effect from this year, the syllabus of NEET had to be in tune with the rationalised NCERT curriculum," he says, ad-ding that there is less of addition and more of reduction. Karki also confirmed that the NTA had validated the syllabus by the NMC.
"Reducing the syllabus does not seem beneficial for the students as this may increase the level of competition," says an expert from Allen Career Institute.
Published on - Times of India
Date - 27/11/2023
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