Srinagar: The J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) is all set to conduct maiden entrance examination to paramedical courses in the union territory in the upcoming academic session.
Until last year, admissions to B Sc/Msc Nursing, Bsc Nursing, B Pharmacy and other paramedical courses offered by government and private institutes affiliated with University of Kashmir, University of Jammu, Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura and other deemed universities, were made by the individual institutes on the basis of marks obtained in class 10 and 12.
But according to an official communiqué, the admission to the paramedical courses would be offered through centralised process for which a common entrance test will be held. The examination will be held in the month of March and April from next year, it said.
The minimum qualification for appearing in the examination will be class 10 and 12 with science stream as per the course, it added.
The decision follows the abolition of merit-based admission to the courses by the then Governor SP Malik early this year. It also abolished 20 percent discretionary quota in the admissions.
As per the previous practice, 80 percent of the seats were filled on merit and 20 percent seats on discretionary quota on nomination basis to be made by the Chief Minister and Minister for Health & Medical Education.

Irshad Khan