Scrapping NEET Is Important To Avoid Student Suicides: DMK
Tamil Nadu”s DMK again batted to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), saying it is the only solution to prevent suicide by students and halt malpractice incidents in the exam.
The DMK”s mouthpiece “Murasoli”, in an editorial pointed out the loss of lives due to NEET in Tamil Nadu and other places and called the test “an alter” on which lives are lost.
It said that 26 candidates ended their lives in Tamil Nadu, 24 aspirants in Rajasthan lost lives last year, and 119 across the nation in the last 8 years. It provided year-wise data on the suicide of students enrolled in coaching centers in Rajasthan.
The DMK Daily cited cases of cheating and irregularities in Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra during the NEET exam and called it as a betrayal of nearly 24 lakh aspirants. It also said about 24 persons were arrested in different states in connection to the leak of the NEET question paper.
In 2021, the Tamil Nadu assembly passed the Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Course Bill, 2021 to exempt the state from the NEET exam, however, the governor refused to give his assent. Tamil Nadu has opposed the NEET since 2017 when it became compulsory.
However, the National Testing Agency (NTA) called the allegations as baseless following the news of alleged NEET paper leak from the undergraduate medical entrance exam. NTA released a press statement regarding the social media rumours and dismissed them saying as “completely baseless and without any ground.”
“To put rumours to rest, it is also stated that every single question paper has been accounted for,” the NTA said. The agency clarified over the alleged irregularity in the Sawai Madhopur” centre that CCTV were installed for the surveillance and no one was allowed to enter the exam centres, once the gates are closed.
The NTA clarified that all the other pictures of question papers circulating online are not to the actual question paper.
Notably, there have been reports of suicides associated with the pressure cooker education system and the over competition of the coaching centres in India. To address the issue government came up with new guidelines that directs coaching centres to take necessary steps to address the mental well-being of the students.
