T.N. plans reservation for govt. schoolchildren in medical colleges

Panel headed by an ex-judge to make recommendations

22/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Edappadi K. Palaniswami

22.03.2020

The Tamil Nadu government plans to enact a law to grant special reservation to students of government schools in medical colleges even as it wages a battle in the Supreme Court against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said that quota would be for students who had studied from Class 1 to 12 in government, corporation or municipal schools. It would also cover Kallar reclamation schools and institutions run by the Forest Department.

“Entry of government school students into medical colleges has come down drastically after the introduction of NEET. The government is keen to stop the trend,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

The CM said that the government would constitute a commission under the chairmanship of a retired High Court judge to collect details and make recommendations. It would get a month’s time to hand in its recommendations.

The secretaries of health and law and two educationists would be its members. The Director of Medical Education would be its member-secretary.