‘State will oppose move to hold NEET twice a year’
D.Govardan@timesgroup.com
Chennai: 09.07.2018
The state government would press the Centre to conduct NEET once a year, said school education minister K A Sengottaiyan in Coimbatore on Sunday. His statement comes a day after Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar announced that NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) would be held twice a year.
Speaking to reporters in the city, Sengottaiyan said an official communication in this regard was yet to reach the state and “as and when it reaches us, we will oppose the move”. “If NEET is held twice a year, students will not have time to prepare for it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Centre’s proposal to conduct NEET exams online through the National Testing Agency (NTA) from next year has drawn flak in Tamil Nadu, with both the AIADMK and the DMK opposing the move. In a hardhitting statement against the BJP government at the Centre, DMK working president M K Stalin said the CBSE had allotted NEET centres for Tamil Nadu students in other states. In addition, students were subjected to hardships with intense frisking.
“The latest announcement is sure to affect students from poor households in urban areas, as well as those from rural areas. The Centre’s moves on NEET are an attempt to prevent students from TN from pursuing their medical education dreams. The Centre should immediately drop its move to conduct NEET online,” Stalin said.
Stalin’s stand found a favourable echo from the ruling AIADMK. Minister for Tamil official language and Tamil culture K Pandiarajan said conducting NEET online was not an easy task. “When even the IIMs and XLRIs have tried online option and reverted to offline, why rush into online mode for NEET. More than a politician, my concern arises from my experience as HR professional with IT exposure,” Pandiarajan told TOI.
“Even if it is NTA, and not CBSE, which conducts the exams, I am not sure if we are giving it the time needed to gear up,” Pandiarajan said. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambithurai told reporters in Karur that the state will continue to oppose NEET in any form.
(With inputs from Vishnu Swaroop)
Times View
Political parties in Tamil Nadu seem to find that rare meeting ground while resisting change. The points DMK leader M K Stalin cited to counter the proposed online NEET – arduous journeys students have to undertake, frisking at exam centres – are, in fact, reasons to go ahead with the proposal.
The minister, who says it is difficult to implement the proposal, should be pushing for better digital infrastructure that will help students take the exam at online exam centres in their hometown or a nearby city. If the students are not ready to switch over from pen and paper, train them on online mode. The Centre and the state should do a reality check without prejudices before taking a decision. During this period, neither the state should resist nor the Centre should bulldoze.
D.Govardan@timesgroup.com
Chennai: 09.07.2018
The state government would press the Centre to conduct NEET once a year, said school education minister K A Sengottaiyan in Coimbatore on Sunday. His statement comes a day after Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar announced that NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) would be held twice a year.
Speaking to reporters in the city, Sengottaiyan said an official communication in this regard was yet to reach the state and “as and when it reaches us, we will oppose the move”. “If NEET is held twice a year, students will not have time to prepare for it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Centre’s proposal to conduct NEET exams online through the National Testing Agency (NTA) from next year has drawn flak in Tamil Nadu, with both the AIADMK and the DMK opposing the move. In a hardhitting statement against the BJP government at the Centre, DMK working president M K Stalin said the CBSE had allotted NEET centres for Tamil Nadu students in other states. In addition, students were subjected to hardships with intense frisking.
“The latest announcement is sure to affect students from poor households in urban areas, as well as those from rural areas. The Centre’s moves on NEET are an attempt to prevent students from TN from pursuing their medical education dreams. The Centre should immediately drop its move to conduct NEET online,” Stalin said.
Stalin’s stand found a favourable echo from the ruling AIADMK. Minister for Tamil official language and Tamil culture K Pandiarajan said conducting NEET online was not an easy task. “When even the IIMs and XLRIs have tried online option and reverted to offline, why rush into online mode for NEET. More than a politician, my concern arises from my experience as HR professional with IT exposure,” Pandiarajan told TOI.
“Even if it is NTA, and not CBSE, which conducts the exams, I am not sure if we are giving it the time needed to gear up,” Pandiarajan said. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambithurai told reporters in Karur that the state will continue to oppose NEET in any form.
(With inputs from Vishnu Swaroop)
Times View
Political parties in Tamil Nadu seem to find that rare meeting ground while resisting change. The points DMK leader M K Stalin cited to counter the proposed online NEET – arduous journeys students have to undertake, frisking at exam centres – are, in fact, reasons to go ahead with the proposal.
The minister, who says it is difficult to implement the proposal, should be pushing for better digital infrastructure that will help students take the exam at online exam centres in their hometown or a nearby city. If the students are not ready to switch over from pen and paper, train them on online mode. The Centre and the state should do a reality check without prejudices before taking a decision. During this period, neither the state should resist nor the Centre should bulldoze.
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