As public anger over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – popularly known as NEET – grows once again in Tamil Nadu, data released by the TN government reveals that students from government and government aided schools in the state have fared badly in the medical and dental entrance exams. In fact, only 3% of those who qualified from Tamil Nadu studied at government or aided schools – strengthening the criticism that NEET is disproportionately skewed to reward only those who can afford coaching institutes.
In Tamil Nadu, 1,14,602 students gave the NEET this year, of whom 45,336 students (39.6%) qualified. Of the 1.14 lakh students who gave the exam though, only 9154 were from TN government and aided schools – and only 1,337 of them qualified.
That is, only 14.6% of medical aspirants from government and aided schools made it through, compared to 41.72% students from private schools.
The numbers were released by Health Minister C Vijayabaskar in the Assembly on Tuesday. While the Tamil Nadu government under former-Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has fought tooth and nail for an exemption from the medical entrance exam, the current dispensation under the leadership of Edappadi Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam has been largely seen as ineffective on the issue. Last year, medical aspirant Anitha killed herself after her battle for exemption from NEET in the Supreme Court did not yield results. This year, too, a young girl, Pratibha, killed herself after failing to qualify for NEET, resulting in more criticism for the state government for not opposing the exam.
In the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, the DMK and Congress staged a walkout stating that the Health Minister C Vijayabaskar did not give a satisfactory reply to a question on NEET.
Stalin highlighted that it was not just Tamil Nadu which is adversely affected by the NEET, but all the southern states, as only eight students from all of the southern states made it in the top 50 ranks of NEET.
Stressing on the need to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET, Stalin said in the Assembly, “Of the 1,14,609 students who wrote the examination, only 45,336 cleared it. The government should bring pressure [to bear] on the Centre to get the President’s nod for the two Bills [seeking exemption from NEET] that were adopted in the Assembly.”
However, the Health Minister C Vijayabaskar maintained his stand in the Assembly that there is little that the government can do since the Supreme Court has delivered its verdict on NEET.
He said, “The government took every step possible to get exemption for the State from NEET. We also succeeded in getting a favourable stand from the Union Law Ministry. But Ms. Nalini Chidambaram obtained an order in the court, and we are bound by it.”
The results of the NEET 2018 Undergraduate examinations were announced on June 4, and this year, over 12 lakh students all over India appeared for the exam, compared to 10 lakh in 2017. Of those who appeared for the exam this year, 7,14,563 students cleared the exam. In 2017 the total number of students who appeared from Tamil Nadu was 83,359 and only 32,368 qualified – a 38.83% pass percentage.