Tamil Nadu assembly passes resolution against NEET, urges Centre to scrap exam

Friday’s resolution called for the abolition of the NEET examination system, which it described as “severely affecting the medical education opportunities of rural and underprivileged students and making school education unnecessary”.  “The Union Government should immediately approve the NEET exemption draft bill unanimously passed by this Legislative Assembly to admit medical students based on 12th-grade marks. Given that several states are now opposing this examination system which has led to numerous malpractices, the Union Government should amend the National Medical Commission Act to abolish the NEET system at the national level,” the resolution said.

The NEET exemption Bill, formally called the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, proposes making Class 12 marks the criteria for medical school admissions. A major flashpoint between the DMK government and the office of the Tamil Nadu Governor, it is currently pending approval from the President of India. In his speech, Stalin said that the widespread irregularities vindicated Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the medical entrance exam. According to him, introduction of NEET in 2017 had drastically altered the landscape of medical education in the state. “…Rural and underprivileged students who cannot attend coaching classes are unable to succeed in this exam,” he said, adding that the national entrance exam would make it difficult for students in rural areas to pursue a medical education.