New Delhi | Jagran Education Desk: The Tamil Nadu government is soon likely to introduce a resolution to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The state government has constituted a committee to study the relevance of NEET as an entrance exam for medical education. The MK Stalin-led government has been against conducting a common entrance exam for medical studies considering a report by the AK Rajan Committee which studied the socio-economic aspects of the medical entrance examination.
Speaking in the state Assembly, CM Stalin said “We must all come together and give voice to overcoming party differences on the issue." He also said that the report of the AK Rajan Committee will be considered legally and the relevant bill will be brought up.
As per the report of the AK Rajan Committee students who get admission to MBBS courses via NEET tend to perform poorer than those who are enrolled based on class 12 marks. The report also shows the socio-economic impact of NEET stating that students who get admitted based on NEET are primarily from urban, affluent, educated families. This means that students who can afford coaching for the medical entrance exam are getting admissions while students from socially and economically backward regions face disadvantages.
The AK Rajan committee constitutes nine members including the state Health Secretary, Director of Medical Education. It received 90,000 responses from the public about the impact of NEET. Based on it, the committee has submitted a 165-page report to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The report has not been made public yet.
Meanwhile, the Central government introduced reservations for OBC and EWS categories to ensure students from diverse social backgrounds get seats in medical colleges. The government has given 15 per cent reservation to SC, 7.5 per cent reservation to ST, 27 per cent reservation to OBC, and 10 per cent reservation for EWS category students.
Posted By: Sugandha Jha
