A resolution for abolishing the NEET system for undergraduate medical admissions was passed by the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Citing the reasons for urging the abolition of NEET, state health minister KG Arunraj said the examination had “diverted focus of students” from the curriculum followed by schools to coaching, ANI news agency reported. Arunraj alleged that it had further resulted in the “proliferation of coaching centres that charge exorbitant fees.”
The resolution comes days after the students' protest in Delhi and other parts of the country over the alleged irregularities in NEET and the paper leak row around it, which led to the resignation of union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
‘NEET against social justice, equality, state rights’, single exam decides
Arunraj, while speaking in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, said NEET was against “social justice, equality and state rights”. “This test gravely undermines medical education opportunities of rural, socio-economically disadvantaged students,” the minister added.
The Tamil Nadu government has earlier too alleged that the examination adversely affects students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those who study from Tamil medium, according to ANI. It had also raised concerns over the growing dependence of students on expensive coaching centres to clear the test.
{{/usCountry}}The Tamil Nadu government has earlier too alleged that the examination adversely affects students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those who study from Tamil medium, according to ANI. It had also raised concerns over the growing dependence of students on expensive coaching centres to clear the test.
{{/usCountry}}The state government had also highlighted the pressure on the students to clear a single entrance examination to secure a seat in medical colleges after Class 12.
What does the resolution propose? Which parties supported it?
The resolution primarily calls for the amendment of relevant central laws and urges the BJP-led union government to abolish the NEET for admission to undergraduate medical courses. The chief minister Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government has proposed that admissions to medical courses in the state be based on Class 12 examination marks – a stand similar to the one the previous DMK government took.
Along with TVK and its ally Congress, the main opposition DMK, AIADMK, PMK, DMDK, left parties and other smaller parties also supported the resolution. The lone BJP MLA in the Assembly staged a walkout. DMK MLA Muthuraja said his party supported the resolution, with AIADMK also saying it remains “firm in its anti-NEET policy.”
Meanwhile, BJP MLA M Bhojarajan, opposing the resolution, said NEET was an “encouragement for the people of Tamil Nadu,” while citing an example from Pollachi. “In Pollachi, 10 students from the same school have cleared the exam,” the BJP MLA said. He further questioned why the state government was not focusing on providing coaching facilities to students instead of asking for the abolition of NEET.