Retd judge-led panel to study NEET impact on admissions

Retd judge-led panel to study NEET impact on admissions

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:06.06.2021

Chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday formed a committee headed by retired HC judge Justice A K Rajan to study the impact of NEET on medical admissions. In its election manifesto, the DMK promised to abolish NEET.

“Educationists are complaining that rural students, poor students in urban areas, government school students and Tamil medium students could not get the chance to (pursue) medical education in the past few years after the implementation of NEET. They demand abolition of the entrance test which is against social justice,” the government said in a release. “They want medical admissions based on Class XII board exam marks as implemented by former chief minister M Karunanidhi during the previous DMK regime. The state government resolved to ensure social justice and to take all measures to remove the impact of NEET,” the government said.

In its order, the state said, “The committee will study whether the common medical entrance test has affected socially backward students in the past few years. If it has, then the committee will suggest alternative admission methods for the benefit of all students and possible legal remedies for implementing these admission methods. Educationists and officials also will be part of this high level committee.”

Educationists welcomed the move to form a committee. “DMK has got the clear political mandate in support of abolishing NEET and to have admissions based on higher secondary marks,” said P B Prince Gajendrababu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System. “Even the parliamentary committee which proposed the Common Medical Entrance Test (CMET) had said that states which do not wish to come under the ambit of CMET have to be kept out.”

Anna University former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said, “Instead of taking any political decision, the government has formed a committee. Hopefully, it will have good members representing various fields. We have to wait for the outcome for the committee.”

The previous AIADMK government introduced 7.5% special reservation for government school students in medical admissions saying those students could not join medical colleges after the introduction of NEET in 2017.