The Class XII State board examinations began on Thursday, but there is no clarity as yet on whether aspirants to government medical and dental colleges in the State would have to take the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Last year, the Central government made NEET the only qualifying examination for admission to private medical colleges in the State. So far, the State Assembly passed two Bills — The Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Postgraduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry Bill, 2017 — seeking to follow its existing pattern of admissions for both categories. The Bills are yet to receive the President’s assent to become a law. Therefore, like last year, the students remain in a state of confusion about their opportunities this year.
The State has been steadfast in its opposition to NEET, from former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to several educationalists in the State preferring to go by its own admission process whereby students are chosen on the basis of cumulative marks scored in key subjects in Standard XII Board examination. For postgraduate medical/dental courses, students are chosen based on marks obtained in the qualifying undergraduate examinations, with some concessions for in-service candidates.
‘Rural students will be hit’
The government has argued that a common entrance test would affect rural students and first-generation learners, and give those with the ability to pay a greater chance of clearing the test. From a social equality point of view there would be a category of students which would not be able to afford coaching for special entrance tests, and would be affected by NEET. Also, young medicos are given a few marks extra in their PG examinations as an incentive to have them serve in PHCs across the State. They would lose this edge with NEET and, consequently, the State might even struggle to populate its PHCs, some doctors have argued.
K. Kandasamy, whose daughter is appearing for the Board examination from Sivaganga district, said she is receiving special coaching at school but is hoping to make it to a government medical college with her class XII marks.
Sampath, a student of a private school in Chennai, has taken his first Board examination on Thursday. He said the extra coaching is helpful as teachers explain the subjects well. “They also teach us how to write the test,” he said. He also said that he is planning to take a crash course after the exams. Is he confident of good scores in NEET? “I don’t want to count the chickens before they hatch,” he said.
Although teachers in State-run schools are not confident of their students clearing the NEET and insist that their efforts are centred on ensuring that students complete schooling, School Education Department officials said teachers have been training the students for the eventuality of NEET.
