Mumbai: The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has finally announced the seat matrix for NEET PG 2024 counselling process after “unnecessary” delay. The seat matrix, which was scheduled to be announced on November 7 as per MCC’s official schedule, was announced only after 6 pm on Saturday, leaving candidates and parents frustrated.
The counselling process has already faced several setbacks, causing widespread annoyance among candidates. According to the official schedule, November 8 to 17 were announced as the dates for candidates for choice filling, but delays and lack of clarity hindered the process, impacting students’ ability to make informed choices for their postgraduate courses.
The delay in release of the official seat matrix left students without crucial information to guide their decisions. As a result of the delay, the choice filling process, which was supposed to begin on Friday, has been delayed and the candidates expressed their frustration over this unnecessary delay.
“Thank God, they finally remembered the counselling process is pending.. When the seat matrix was supposed to come on November 7, to release it on November 9 evening, it doesn’t make sense. It was totally unnecessary,” a candidate told the FPJ.
“It’s like they wanted to make sure everyone was emotionally invested in the process. Nothing like a little drama to keep students refreshing the page like they’re waiting for concert tickets to go on sale,” added Brijesh Sutaria, a Mumbai-based medical education activist.
The choice filling stage, originally scheduled from November 8 to 17, requires candidates to submit their preferred choices by November 17. “With the seat matrix absent, students were unable to proceed with choice filling as they were unable to make an informed decision. Now they will only be able to start the process around 9 PM on Saturday, when it should have commenced on Friday. MCC must address the issue of this unnecessary delay,” said Sutaria. The process has been poorly managed, leading to significant delays, he added.
Earlier, confusion was also created when MCC hastily released its brochure on November 6, only to revise it soon after. Candidates pointed out that the updated brochure did not contain new information and merely reiterated last year’s rules. This apparent oversight has led to criticism of MCC’s lack of preparedness and attention to detail in a process that is pivotal to the academic future of thousands of medical students.
The reporting and joining stage, scheduled from November 21 to 27, is nearing and candidates have expressed displeasure for the delay. Some aspirants have also expressed relief, as they said “it’s better late than never”. “At least, with the seat matrix out, we can finally start our choice filling process,” a candidate pointed out.
“This lack of adherence to the schedule and poor communication has understandably caused frustration among students who rely on timely information for planning their next steps,” said Sutaria.
