Neet aspirants from government schools fall by 10,000 this year
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:24.01.2020
Aspirants for National Eligibility cum-Entrance Test (Neet) from government and government-aided schools have dropped by more than 10,000 students this year. From 17,630 applicants in 2019, the numbers have dwindled to just around 7,000 in 2020.
Only two students from government-sponsored coaching centres in the state got medical seats last year. Four students from government-aided schools who attended private coaching also got MBBS seats in 2019.
Despite elaborate efforts by the school education department, the number of students joining medical courses remained more or less the same.
The number of students attending Neet coaching has come down from 19,355 to 10,000 this year. Students and teachers were disheartened as the cut-off increased over 100 marks and old students grabbed 70% of medical seats in the state, officials said. There has been a decrease in the number of students opting for science stream every year. Pursuing Neet is also providing limited options and this year, the cut-off may increase further. These factors could have discouraged many students, said an official.
Headmasters of some schools said one year coaching for Neet is not sufficient. “Coaching should have been given for two years. Instead of giving coaching at state level, the government should consider coaching at school level,” said the headmaster of a city school. Some headmasters demanded a separate quota for government school students as they could not compete with students who prepare for more than two years for the exam.
Educationist Prince Gajendrababu said apprehensions about common medical entrance tests have been proved correct. “We warned about mushrooming of coaching centres and possibility of spending an extra year for coaching. They have come true and only affluent students can afford coaching as it would cost up to ₹5lakh a year,” he said. “Though government school students have the same aptitude and skills like others, they could not take up the test. The state government should strengthen higher secondary exams and admit students based on higher secondary marks,” he added.
“Poor results for three continuous years has taken away the confidence of government school students. The government also did not give proper training for medical aspirants,” said Dr G R Raveendranath, general secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality. “The state government should reserve seats for government school students in government medical colleges,” he said.
In 2016, before Neet-based admissions for MBBS, 34 students from government schools joined medical colleges. After introduction of Neet for medical admissions in Tamil Nadu, only seven from government schools joined MBBS in 2017, while five joined in 2018, according to the Directorate of Medical Education. So far, only 14 from government schools have aced Neet in the last three years.
Only two students from governmentsponsored coaching centres in the state got medical seats last year
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:24.01.2020
Aspirants for National Eligibility cum-Entrance Test (Neet) from government and government-aided schools have dropped by more than 10,000 students this year. From 17,630 applicants in 2019, the numbers have dwindled to just around 7,000 in 2020.
Only two students from government-sponsored coaching centres in the state got medical seats last year. Four students from government-aided schools who attended private coaching also got MBBS seats in 2019.
Despite elaborate efforts by the school education department, the number of students joining medical courses remained more or less the same.
The number of students attending Neet coaching has come down from 19,355 to 10,000 this year. Students and teachers were disheartened as the cut-off increased over 100 marks and old students grabbed 70% of medical seats in the state, officials said. There has been a decrease in the number of students opting for science stream every year. Pursuing Neet is also providing limited options and this year, the cut-off may increase further. These factors could have discouraged many students, said an official.
Headmasters of some schools said one year coaching for Neet is not sufficient. “Coaching should have been given for two years. Instead of giving coaching at state level, the government should consider coaching at school level,” said the headmaster of a city school. Some headmasters demanded a separate quota for government school students as they could not compete with students who prepare for more than two years for the exam.
Educationist Prince Gajendrababu said apprehensions about common medical entrance tests have been proved correct. “We warned about mushrooming of coaching centres and possibility of spending an extra year for coaching. They have come true and only affluent students can afford coaching as it would cost up to ₹5lakh a year,” he said. “Though government school students have the same aptitude and skills like others, they could not take up the test. The state government should strengthen higher secondary exams and admit students based on higher secondary marks,” he added.
“Poor results for three continuous years has taken away the confidence of government school students. The government also did not give proper training for medical aspirants,” said Dr G R Raveendranath, general secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality. “The state government should reserve seats for government school students in government medical colleges,” he said.
In 2016, before Neet-based admissions for MBBS, 34 students from government schools joined medical colleges. After introduction of Neet for medical admissions in Tamil Nadu, only seven from government schools joined MBBS in 2017, while five joined in 2018, according to the Directorate of Medical Education. So far, only 14 from government schools have aced Neet in the last three years.
Only two students from governmentsponsored coaching centres in the state got medical seats last year
No comments:
Post a Comment