Muscat: The Kairali Oman community, representing parents of Indian school students, has submitted a memorandum to Amit Narang, the Indian Ambassador to Oman, expressing their concerns about the removal of the NEET exam center in Oman and other GCC countries.
The NEET center at the Indian School Muscat was established in 2022 after persistent requests and representations from parents of Indian school students in Oman.
In previous years, the Kairali Oman community had submitted memorandums to members of the Indian Parliament and made numerous representations to address this issue. As a result, Rajya Sabha members Elamanam Kareem and John Brittas raised the matter in the Indian House.
These collective efforts led to the establishment of a NEET center at the Indian School Muscat.
However, the parents in Oman are disheartened to learn that the center, which was established through their continuous efforts and with the support of Indian diaspora community groups worldwide, has been discontinued without any explanation or discussions.
This recent decision has caused financial distress for expatriate parents due to various reasons, including a significant increase in airfares.
The NEET online registration has already started, causing concern among students due to the sudden closure of exam centers in Gulf countries, including Oman.
A group of parents and the Kairali Oman community met with India's Ambassador to Oman, Amit Narang, to request the reinstatement of the NEET exam center in Oman. Sudhi Padmanabhan, Shaji Sebastian, Manoj Peringeth, Arun V M, and Mithun Mohan represented the parents during the discussions, and the ambassador assured them that he would address their concerns.
He also committed to promptly communicating the issue to the Union Education Ministry and NEET authorities. In 2021, international NEET-UG exam centers were established to facilitate students' access to medical studies in India and abroad, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this year, all international centers have been shut down, while the number of centers in India has increased.
