It’s unfortunate that despite merits of common entrance exam, Tamil Nadu failed the test
The suicide of S Anitha, a 17-year-old girl from Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu, following her failure to get admission in medical course, is most unfortunate and could have been avoided. Anitha’s suicide has come close on the heels of a Supreme Court order which directed the State Government to complete admissions to National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) by September 4. Clearly, amid much uncertainity, the apex court’s order had come as a much relief for the parents and students alike. But Anitha’s suicide has once again rekindled debate over NEET. Following her suicide, major opposition political parties in Tamil Nadu took to the streets. This brought normal life to a standstill. Their argument is that had the admission to MBBS been held based on the marks scored in the Class XII examination, Anitha would have got into any of the leading medical colleges in the State. They argue that the syllabus of the State board examination is not compatible with NEET which is based on the CBSE syllabus and, hence, NEET should be cancelled. Tamil Nadu’s disregard for a national entrance examination is the most unfortunate at a time when the need is all the more to provide for a level-playing field for students. The merits of NEET need no emphasis — it was introduced with an aim to curb corruption and ensure transperancy in the admission procedure itself. Past attemtps on the part of Tamil Nadu, to put a brave front against NEET, have only backfired. It’s attempt to take the Ordinance route too failed after the Centre ruled that it was not in favour of giving “undue advantage” to one State. The reading on the wall was, in fact, made clear by the Centre last year, when it granted a one-time exemption to the entire country. Against this backdrop, it was the utmost duty for the State Government to make the changes in the school curriculum to ensure that the students are NEET-ready. But it failed to act.
The admission procedure to medical colleges in the country was enmeshed in a quagmire due to a host of reasons. Managements of private medical colleges in the country were a law unto themselves and they decided the price of medial seats which varied between Rs 1.8 crore to two crore rupees for the academic year 2017-2018. Merit was dumped while admission was decided by the weight of the money bag carried by the applicants. The Medical Council of India’s move to have NEET was to regulate medical education in the country. The resistance to NEET is not from students per se but from the managements of private medical colleges and politicians who stand to lose the windfall out of the unregulated admission procedure. The contention by Tamil Nadu politicians that rural students studying the State board syllabus are at a disadvantage when they compete with their city counterparts in the NEET is an eyewash. It is the responsibility of the State Government to fine tune the syllabus to help the rural students. Timely counselling would have prevented her from taking to the extreme step. As on date the NEET is the ideal method for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, provided the test is held in an impeccable manner.