Former judge A.K. Rajan submitted his report on the people’s response to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday.
NEET is the qualifying exam for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate medical programmes in the country. There has been opposition to conducting NEET in Tamil Nadu since its introduction, and in June, the State government had announced the formation of a committee headed by Justice A.K. Rajan, to study whether NEET has affected students on the fringes of society ans to suggest corrective measures .
After submitting his report Justice Rajan told press persons that a majority of people who had responded were against NEET. He said the report ran to 165 pages. Based on the report, the State government is expected to pass a resolution demanding an exemption from NEET in the Assembly, and then to forward it to the President.
NEET was introduced in the State in 2016 but it wasn’t until 2018 that it became mandatory for admission to medical colleges. Last year, the State government introduced a special reservation of 7.5% of the total seats available in the State pool for government school students. Around 300 students benefited under this scheme.
This year the Union Education Ministry has proposed to hold NEET on September 12.
While the State is trying its best to seek exemption, the government is continuing its training programme for government school students.
Medical Minister Ma. Subramanian and later the Chief Minister have said they do not want the students to suffer in case the assent for exemption from the exam is delayed.