Youth Congress members protest against timing of JEE and NEET at the Education Ministry in New Delhi. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday, seeking cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and stating that conducting the exam amid the pandemic “would put the lives of the students attending it at great risk of infection”.
He demanded that the Centre allow admissions to medical courses on the basis of students’ marks in Class XII board exams.
The letter to Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family welfare, said “it would be very difficult for the students to actively prepare/take up NEET examination this year” citing the “current scenario.”
Vijayabaskar suggested that the Centre allow admissions to medical, dental courses for the 2020-21 academic year on the basis of marks secured by the students in their Class XII board examinations and cancel the NEET.
He requested the Union minister to promulgate an ordinance to facilitate this.
Tamil Nadu has been demanding for years to let the state continue with its medical admission system based on Class XII marks.
After the Centre categorically stated that it would be impossible to exempt one state from NEET, the state came out with two Bills—the Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill, 2017, and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Post Graduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry. Both of them have not been cleared by the President.