TN assembly passes bill to nullify NEET, BJP walks out

TN assembly passes bill to nullify NEET, BJP walks out

It Also Gives 7.5% Quota To Govt School Students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.09.2021

In a near-unanimous motion, the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday passed a bill for admission to medical courses only on the basis of Class XII marks in board examinations. The bill also provides for 7.5% horizontal reservation in medical courses for students of government schools.

“Admissions to medical education courses are traceable to Entry 25 of List III, Schedule VII of the Constitution. Therefore, the state government is competent to regulate the same. So, I am moving this bill,” chief minister M K Stalin said, evoking loud thumping of desks in the treasury. The bill seeks to circumvent NEET and, instead, have only Class XII marks as criterion for admissions to MBBS, BDS, Indian medicine and homeopathy courses.

While opposition parties like the AIADMK and the PMK, besides DMK allies, supported the bill, the BJP members walked out of the assembly in protest.

A high-level committee, headed by Justice A K Rajan, former judge of the Madras high court, set up by the DMK government in June, reported to the government that NEET had undermined the diverse societal representation in MBBS and higher medical courses, favouring the affluent groups, while thwarting the dream of pursuing medical education by the underprivileged sections.

Constitutional and political tussle

TN’s bid to do away with NEET is as much political as constitutional, reports A Subramani. Political as it would need the Centre’s consent and presidential assent. Constitutional as education, after the 42nd amendment, is on the concurrent list where the Centre and the states have equal say to enact laws. P 5

Allot 1% seats to def personnel’s wards: HC

The Madras high court has said that it expects the TN government to allocate at least 1% medical seats for wards of serving defence personnel from the next academic year and recognise their selfless service to the nation. P 5

Wrong to say NEET improved medical exam quality: CM

The most-affected were students of government schools, those having parental income of less than ₹ 2.5 lakh a year and that of MBCs, SCs and STs.

The committee said the NEET neither seemed to ensure merit nor standard of students being offered MBBS. The Justice Rajan committee received views from 86,342 people both offline and online and submitted its report on July

14. “The committee has recommended that the state government pass an act, like Tamil Nadu Admission in Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006 (Tamil Nadu Act 3 of 2007),” Stalin said.

Following the recommendations, the state set up another committee of secretaries led by chief secretary V Irai Anbu on July 15. The committee of secretaries recommended the same route to nullify NEET.

The CM said it was wrong to say NEET improved the standard of medical examination. TN had one of the highest number of medical and dental institutions even before 2017. The standard of medical and dental professionals from these institutions was high.

The government decided to enact a law to ensure social justice, uphold equality and equal opportunity, protect all vulnerable student communities, and ensure a robust public health care in the state, especially in the rural areas, Stalin said.

In the afternoon, when the Bill was taken up for consideration and passage, BJP floor leader Nainar Nagendran said his party opposed the Bill. He said 57,219 out of 99,610 students, who wrote NEET, cleared the test last year.

Violation of UGC norms on PWDs under the scanner

Violation of UGC norms on PWDs under the scanner

TNIE had highlighted the struggles faced by M Kamaraj, a disabled rights activist, in getting admitted to Bharathidasan University in Tiruchy for MPhil in 2016-17.

Published: 13th September 2021 03:33 AM 

Kamaraj, who fought for the rights of disabled students, is now pursuing MPhil in Tiruchy | Express

By Sowmya Mani

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: Following an article published in TNIE on Saturday titled ‘Disabled activist’s fight against varsity a win for all students’, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Johny Tom Varghese has decided to take up the matter in the court of the state commissioner for persons with disabilities.

TNIE had highlighted the struggles faced by M Kamaraj, a disabled rights activist, in getting admitted to Bharathidasan University in Tiruchy for MPhil in 2016-17. Despite being eligible, Kamaraj was not admitted as several universities do not follow the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.

Varghese on Saturday wrote to the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons regarding the non-compliance with the UGC recommendations, and said the matter would be taken up suo motu in the court of the state commissioner for persons with disabilities.

The Higher Education department and educational institutions will be directed to adhere to the UGC recommendations, he stated. “We will ask the Higher Education department and universities why the UGC norms are not being followed... We will give a notice and recommendations at the hearing on Tuesday,” Varghese added.

Collector's timely help saves TN boy from missing NEET exam

Collector's timely help saves TN boy from missing NEET exam

Collector Amar Kushwaha’s timely help saved a NEET aspirant from missing the entrance examination on Sunday.

Published: 13th September 2021 03:49 AM 

Collector Amar Kushwaha dropping a NEET aspirant at the exam centre in Yelagiri Hills on Sunday | Express

By Express News Service

TIRUPATHUR: Collector Amar Kushwaha’s timely help saved a NEET aspirant from missing the entrance examination on Sunday. The Collector was on his way to the Yelagiri Hills, when he saw 17-year-old Vediappan waiting for a vehicle at the foothills near the Ponneri check post.

Kushwaha was going to inspect one of the NEET centres set up at the hills in the district. It was already 1.15 pm and all the special buses had already left for the centre. Candidates had to report to their centres at 1.30 pm, 30 minutes before the test.

“I stopped at the check post to monitor the arrangements made to regulate traffic. Only special buses and private vehicles were allowed uphill,” the Collector told TNIE. At that time, I got to know Vediappan was stuck there, he added.

A resident of Vettavalam in Tiruvannamalai, Vediappan boarded a bus from his village in the morning, went to Vellore and then came to the district. The roundabout journey reportedly caused the delay. “He seemed nervous but I gave him a lift and dropped him at the centre 20 minutes before the test. After frisking and other procedures were over, he was allowed to enter,” added Amar Kushwaha. The district had two NEET centres.

NEET exam: Physics section most difficult, say candidates

NEET exam: Physics section most difficult, say candidates

This year’s NEET paper had new elements like match the column and assertion-reasoning questions

Published: 13th September 2021 04:44 AM 

NEET candidates at Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School in Chennai on Sunday | P Jawahar

By KV Navya

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Amid opposition from political parties and a section of the public, the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) was conducted on Sunday. At least 1,10,971 students were scheduled to appear for the test from across the State. Most of the students TNIE interacted with found the Physics section the most difficult and time-consuming among all the three sections — Biology, Chemistry, Physics.

“The paper was tough compared to last year. In Physics, numerical questions were lengthy and I had to move to other sections to score marks. Ideally, one question must be solved in one minute. But Physics questions took way more time than that,” said one of the candidates, S Anuradha, at Velachery.

This year’s NEET paper had new elements like match the column and assertion-reasoning questions. Subject experts said Biology questions were the easiest, and Chemistry ones were moderate. “Biology section had questions mostly from the textbook but Chemistry and Physics sections had numerical and conceptual questions. Nearly 40 per cent of the questions in the Physics section were moderately difficult.

Last year, it was about 30 per cent. This may have an impact on the cut-off level,” said K Bhargav, a tutor at a NEET coaching centre at T Nagar. According to the parents, the online classes played spoilsport for the students. “Problem-solving questions are best explained offline. Subjects like Maths and Physics are very difficult to teach online. Students also lacked practice due to uncertainty around NEET in the State,” said one of the parents at Taramani.

1,10,971 Total number of students scheduled to appear from TN

17,992 Students scheduled to appear from Chennai

Exam time: 2 to 5 pm

Covid SOP followed

Covid code of conduct, including wearing masks, using sanitisers, and ensuring social distancing, were followed in most of the NEET centres in the city. Though there was little crowding at the beginning, police officials and staff at the exam centres ensured social distancing. Many exam centres arranged separate lunch rooms on the premises and had microphones to make important announcements

‘All parties in one tone to do away with neet’

Tiruchy: Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Sunday said that all the parties in the State assembly, including the BJP, had shown consensus to do away with NEET. We will continue to protest against it and with the help of all parties, hopefully do away with NEET, he added. He was speaking on the sidelines of inaugurating a ration shop near Katur in Cauvery Nagar at `16.25 lakh sourced from MLA fund. Tiruchy Collector S Sivarasu was also present.

Aspirant with error in hall ticket allowed to write test -

Aspirant with error in hall ticket allowed to write test -

The Times Of India

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:13.09.2021

Madras high court at a special sitting on Saturday night permitted a female medical aspirant, who received her admit card with a male candidate’s photograph and signature printed on it, to appear for NEET.

Petitioner S Vengatesan of Madurai, a goods vehicle driver, said his daughter Shanmugapriya had secured 92.8% marks in Class X and 91.54% in Class XII and has been preparing for NEET for two years determined to become a doctor. She had applied for the test by uploading her details online. However, on Saturday, they were shocked to see the photograph of a male candidate called Alex Pandian and his signature on the admit card she downloaded.

Justice R Suresh Kumar observed that all details such as her name, roll number, gender, category, application number and father’s name have been printed correctly as uploaded by the petitioner’s daughter, but for the photo and signature which were strangely of a male candidate. This shows that it is her admit card. Such a mistake could not have emanated from Shanmugapriya but only at the side of NTA, the judge said. Taking into account that she was a bright student, the judge passed the interim order directing NTA and authorities at the exam centre to permit the girl to appear for NEET without raising any objection. Following the court’s direction, Shanmugapriya was allowed to appear for the exam at a centre set up at Solamalai College of Engineering in Madurai

OVER 95% OF 16L ASPIRANTS TAKE NEET

OVER 95% OF 16L ASPIRANTS TAKE NEET

Times of India Delhi Edition

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2021 conducted on Sunday recorded one of the highest attendances in the past five years with over 95% of the 16.1 lakh aspirants taking the exam, reports Manash Gohain. The high level of attendance can be gauged from the photograph of aspirants queueing up outside a NEET centre in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The last time the medical entrance exam logged 94% attendance was in 2017 when 11.4 lakh students had registered. The all-time high of 97% was recorded in 2018. ‘We are yet to receive reports from all the centres. But the trend so far, based on majority of the centre reports we have received, is over 95% attendance,’ said Vineet Joshi, director general, National Testing Agency. Two cases of impersonation — one each in Allahabad and Bangalore — have been detected so far. ‘We are looking at other doubtful cases. The numbers could be around 10,’ said Joshi. Three Covid-positive candidates were allowed to take the exam in isolation in Kerala.

NMC to relook at draft PG regulations, allow improvement of NEXT score every year

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