Government school teachers apprehend that the current batch of Plus Two students may not be thoroughly equipped to face NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) so as to avail the utility of medical admissions under the 7.5 percent reservation quota.
Unlike in 2019-20 when students went through the rigour of in-person training in classroom environment until March, when the COVID-19 lockdown began, this time around, there have been only weak signs of government school students deriving the utility of the free NEET online E-box crash course conducted jointly by the School Education Department and Amphisoft Technologies E-Box, according to teachers handling higher secondary classes.
Students of government and government-aided schools and those in schools run by local bodies, and welfare schools of Adi Dravidar, tribals, Kallar reclamation are eligible for free training which is completely online with lectures and discussions combined with practice tests.
“If in the 2020-21 medical admissions, over 400 students of government schools could secure medical admission under the 7.5 percent reservation quota, it was because of the completion of substantial portions combined with conduct of offline NEET coaching classes. This time, not only have the portions been truncated, the students in government schools also feel like fish out of water due to their inability to cope up with the online training pattern,” a headmaster of a government school said.
The school education department had, during January this year, divided the syllabus into compulsory and optional parts, before commencing the in-person classes. Those preparing for the public exams could avoid studying the optional parts accounting for one-third of the slashed portions. Teachers say that Plus Two public exam is likely during June by when justice could be done only for compulsory portions.
Crucial time had been lost due to deployment of teachers for conduct of elections, and right now, the schools were focussed on completing the practical exams.
“As such, the scope for government schools to complete the optional portions that are vital to put students in a frame of mind to comprehend the contours of NEET does not exist,” another school head said.
Last month, the National Testing Agency had announced August 1 as the date for conduct of NEET this year.
On their part, private schools have, by and large, been able to complete both compulsory and optional portions through a combination of online and off-line classes.
