Tamil Nadu Demands cancellation of NEET 2021
Chennai: Demand for cancellation of NEET 2021 has escalated in Tamil Nadu in the past few days. Recently, Chief Minister M K Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel NEET as well as other all national level tests and allow Tamil Nadu to fill professional seats, including the MBBS, based on class 12 marks.
Moreover, AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam backed the DMK government's position and urged Prime Minister to abolish the tests.
In a letter, the chief minister stated to Prime Minister Modi that considering the pandemic situation, conducting national level entrance examinations for any professional course would be immensely detrimental to the health and well-being of students. "I therefore urge you to cancel the conduct of all national level entrance examinations like NEET," he said.
"Our state may be allowed to fill all professional seats including MBBS seats, on the basis of class XII marks alone, as we have always emphasised. I am sure that you would appreciate the fairness of my request, and will act upon it favourably," the chief minister added.
Till her death in 2016, late AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa had strongly opposed NEET and AIADMK government (2011-21) opposed it all along and two Bills were also adopted in the Assembly in 2017 but to no avail, Panneerselvam said in a letter to Modi, quotes PTI
Listing the difficulties faced by Tamil Nadu students, especially those belonging to socially and economically backward groups, he said there is a need for separate coaching to take the test since it is modelled on NCERT-CBSE curriculum and they cannot afford the fee charged by coaching centres.
Introduction of NEET has made it difficult for aspirants from the marginalised communities in Tamil Nadu to pursue medical education, he said.
Sanctioning 11 medical colleges for TN in recent times, besides the AIIMS in Madurai and cancellation of the 12th class CBSE board examination were well received and highly appreciated, Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, said.
Similarly, OPS, a former Chief Minister and also Deputy CM requested Modi "to take a uniform policy decision to abolish not only the NEET for enrolment in medical courses but also the common entrance examinations for all the professional and other courses forever."
The Centre should allow states to make admission based on the marks obtained by students in their higher secondary examination and "for which act of kindness,the people of Tamil Nadu will ever be grateful to you," the AIADMK leader said.
Almost all political parties of Tamil Nadu, including the DMK and AIADMK, had for long opposed NEET.
One of the grounds for their opposition is that such tests went against social justice and denied opportunities to students from socially disadvantaged groups and aspirants from rural regions. NEET continues to be one of the much politically debated issues in Tamil Nadu.
On June 5, TN government announced cancellation of class 12 state board public examinations and said a panel would be set up to decide on awarding marks to students and such marks shall be the criteria for admission to college courses.
Read also: Amid Speculations on New Date for NEET 2021, Aspirants Demand Exam Deferment
