NEET Not Allowed In Tamil Nadu: Class 12 Marks To Be Considered For Medical Entrance

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill has been passed.

The bill seeks to scrap medical admissions based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for state students.

Benefits And Beneficiaries

This is so as to uphold social justice and ensure equal opportunity for students from vulnerable communities.

These students are often subject to discirmination which prevents them from entering the mainstream education system.

The bill will also help create a strong health infrastructure in the state especially in the rural areas.

The New System

Now, medical admissions in the state will instead be based on marks obtained in Class 12.

It received support from all parties except BJP.

Chief Minister MK Stalin said that as per the Constitution’s Schedule VIII, List III and Entry 25, the state can regulate medical admissions.

He had set up a committee headed by retired justice AK Rajan to study the impact of NEET and the spread of coaching centres for it.

Committee Findings: Unfair Bias

The committee recommended the immediate elimination of NEET based on its findings.

It said that the exam is biased towards the rich and the elite.

They take away the medical education opportunities from underprivileged social groups.

Rural and urban-poor students from government and Tamil-medium schools have been particularly affected.

These sections include families with income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh a year.

Committee Findings: NEET No Guarantee Of Quality

It also found that NEET doesn’t ensure merit or standard.

Rather, it results in low-performing students gaining admission into MBBS.

This has dire implications for the state’s healthcare system since Primary Health Centres will have fewer doctors iif NEET continues.

Private Advantage

Statistics of medical admissions four years before and after NEET shows nearly a 10-time dip in state board students securing medical admission, from 380 to just around 40.

But there is an exponential rise in CBSE students making it, from a mere three to over 200, almost a 70-time high. 

A large portion of these students had taken private coaching.

The bill is now waiting for the approval of the Supreme Court and other Chief Ministers.

No matter the outcome, at least for this year NEET will be used for medical admissions in the state.

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