Congress Manifesto 2024: Party Promises Optional NEET, CUET And Student Loan Revival

The Congress manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections promises to make NEET and CUET optional.

The party aims to ensure educational standards across institutions.

Source : PTI

The Congress party released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on April 5, 2024. In its manifesto, Congress promised many things for students. Congress said that if elected to power, it plans to make centrally administered qualifying exams, like the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), optional. "We will ensure that all higher educational institutions — central, state and private — meet the prescribed standards for admitting students. We will revisit the policy of centrally-conducted qualifying examinations such as NEET, CUET, etc. and make it optional for state governments to adopt these examinations for admissions or conduct their own examinations meeting the prescribed standards to state-funded and state-approved higher educational institutions," the Congress said in the manifesto.

In addition to addressing concerns with qualifying examinations, the Congress manifesto outlines various other educational pledges. A significant commitment is the party's promise to reassess and modify the New Education Policy (NEP) in collaboration with state governments, emphasizing the importance of honoring states' rights in formulating education policies. This strategy is a response to opposition from certain states towards the NEP and its execution.

"The New Education Policy (NEP) announced by the  BJP/NDA government has been opposed by educationists and several state governments. Education is a  concurrent subject and the rights of states to formulate an education policy must be respected. Hence, we will revisit and amend the NEP in consultation with the state governments," Congress said in its manifesto.

According to the Congress Manifesto for 2024, the party is dedicated to revitalizing, enhancing, and fully financing pre-matric and higher education scholarships targeting marginalised communities. These communities encompass a diverse array of disadvantaged groups, including but not limited to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), identified tribes, and minorities.