NEET Controversy: Tamil Nadu Panel Demands Abolishing NEET And Asks To Make Class 12 Marks Eligibility
The high-level committee headed by the Madras High Court Justice A K Rajan (Retired) asked the Tamil Nadu government to eliminate the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and to make higher secondary examination (class 12th) marks as the sole criteria for admission to first-year medical programs. The panel demanded to use of legal or legislative procedures to abolish NEET as the medical entrance procedure.
The panel was formed by the DMK in 2021, to study the impact of the admission process to medical colleges via NEET. Reportedly, the findings of the panel are based on extensive data and inputs from students, parents, and the public. The panel also recommended adopting a normalization of scores for the students from different boards so that equal opportunity can be ensured for everyone.
Read Also: “Will Be Your Voice”: Rahul Gandhi To NEET Students
Tamil Nadu CM and DMK president M K Stalin shared a post on social media platform X, regarding a comprehensive report submitted to the government. The Tamil Nadu government has allegedly said the NEET is anti-poor and anti-social. CM Stalin said that the government is sharing the Justice A K Rajan committee report in English and other major Indian languages to better understand the ill effects of NEET.
DMK was the first to foresee the hazards of #NEET and undertook a large-scale campaign against it.
After coming to power, we constituted a High-Level Committee headed by Justice A.K. Rajan to study the impact of the NEET-based admission process. The Committee’s report, based on… pic.twitter.com/qHZK54syEE
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) June 9, 2024
According to the panel’s recommendations, the state government can pass an act to eliminate the NEET at all levels of medical education and get the President’s assent to ensure social justice and protect all vulnerable students from discrimination.
The report said to identify the socio, economic, and other demographic ‘adversities’ responsible for the poor performance of disadvantaged sections in the HSC exams and recommends that re-profiling of scores shall be adjusted using a pre-developed framework of ‘Adversity Score’.
Subject knowledge and higher-order skills must be developed through learning assessment (board examination) and school education should be reformed for ‘learning’ instead of ‘coaching’ based education, the panel said.
Read also: Will Revise NEET Result, No Paper Leak: NTA Chief On NEET “Irregularities”
The panel also recommended passing an act to bring all the deemed universities of Tamil Nadu under its preview, as under Act 3/2007.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu assembly passed the Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Course Bill, 2021 to exempt Tamil Nadu from the NEET exam. After an inordinate delay from the Governor’s side, the bill is awaiting the Presidential assent.
