Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding that NEET be scrapped, arguing that it goes against social justice and disproportionately affects rural and government school students.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister M Subramanian met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed issues pertaining to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Demanding that the test be scrapped, Subramanian also urged the Union government to allow the state to conduct admissions to medical courses through Class 12 marks. During the meeting, the Union Minister informed officials of the state that for the convenience of the students of Tamil Nadu, four cities — Chengalpet, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Tiruppur — have been added to the list of places where NEET (UG) will be conducted.
Taking to Twitter, Pradhan wrote, “Health Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, M Subramanian met me to discuss various issues of Tamil Nadu, including NEET (UG) 2021. Explained to him the background of the Supreme Court’s directions in this regard. Also shared with him that to cater to regional aspirations, the number of languages being offered this year has been increased with the addition of Malayalam and Punjabi. The exam is already being conducted in the Tamil language.”
The number of cities has increased to 18 from 14 last year. The number of examination centers will also be increased, he said. “During the discussion with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan we explained about the recommendation of the retired judge AK Rajan committee while putting forth our demands. Minister assured us to examine the demands,” Subramanian later told reporters.
Subramanian, referring to Pradhan’s explanation, said, “The very issue is about conducting NEET and also the syllabus and not about the examination centers. We have said that NEET saw 13 students die by suicide in Tamil Nadu.” Pradhan had understood Tamil Nadu’s concerns as his own state Odisha encountered problems due to NEET, Subramanian added.
Besides demanding scrapping the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Subramanian also urged the Union government to allow the state to fill admissions to all professional courses on the basis of Class 12 marks in the meeting.
The meeting came a day after a high-level committee, led by retired Madras High Court judge A K Rajan, handed over its report to Chief Minister MK Stalin on the impact of NEET in Tamil Nadu and related issues due to its implementation. Most parties, including the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK, are on the same page on NEET and have been demanding that the test be scrapped, arguing that it went against social justice and disproportionately affected rural and government school students.
The NEET-UG which was earlier scheduled on August 1 has now been postponed to September 12. Meanwhile, during the meeting, the state minister also presented a list of 13 demands to the Union Health Minister, including establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Coimbatore, besides expediting the AIIMS, Madurai project.
The Union Minister also responded positively to the state’s request for drugs to treat Black Fungus and also assured the release of Rs 800 crore in funds, to help the state government launch appropriate measures to prevent the third wave of the coronavirus.
Source: The News Minute