Unanimously passing a resolution against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Friday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly urged the central government to scrap the test on a national level and approve the state’s NEET exemption Bill. The development comes at a time when alleged irregularities over this year’s NEET medical entrance test has kicked up a massive political storm. The resolution, proposed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, once again reiterates the state’s longstanding objection to the 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 steadfast 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. “…the situation has completely changed, making medical education inaccessible to poor students. 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 and backward areas to pursue a medical education. The chief minister also highlighted the extensive political and legal opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu, detailing various protests and campaigns organised by the DMK and its allies. "We have been continuously opposing the NEET entrance exam both politically and legally since its introduction. Significantly, the Tamil Nadu government has passed multiple bills and resolutions against NEET in the last decade —including the 2021 Bill and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses Bill of 2017. The 2017 Bill, which also seeks to exempt the state from NEET for medical admissions, fell through after failing to get Presidential assent.
