“NEET snatches opportunities from poor”: Ex-HC judge submits report to Tamil Nadu government
Primary health centers in rural Tamil Nadu will not get doctors in future if the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) continues. Former judge of Madras High Court AK Rajan has said this. He has submitted his report to the state government on the effect of this examination. Justice Rajan told NDTV that “NEET deprives the poor, only the rich get the maximum number of seats. When you don’t give opportunities to local students to study MBBS, the affluent will move to remote areas after becoming doctors.” Not going to serve in PHC. They will go abroad to continue their studies and make their living.”
Except Tamil Nadu, all other states have accepted NEET. The former judge said that “other states will soon join in making this demand. Tamil Nadu has been at the fore in many issues. Earlier we only opposed the imposition of Hindi, but now other southern states are also protesting.”
The former judge said the committee set up by the state to study the impact of the NEET exam had received over 86,000 representations. He said that NEET is doing irreparable damage.
The panel was tasked to study the data related to medical admissions in Tamil Nadu and make necessary recommendations to protect the interests of students from backward classes.
Justice Rajan said that despite reservation, poor and rural students have not benefited equally as they are unable to afford private coaching unlike urban affluent students. He said that there is no coaching center in rural areas.
He told NDTV that “NEET kills the opportunities of the poor. Equality is not just equal treatment to the poor. We should see the result of this system, does it help every section of the society? If it doesn’t, So we should change that.”
Rajan claims that a large number of poor students managed to get admission in medical before NEET was made mandatory, while a large number of them came from government schools.
The former judge said that today poor students are not applying for NEET out of fear that they will not be able to get selected in it, as the exam is based on CBSE which has a different syllabus.
Responding to a question about possible fear of a fall in standards, he said that “Tamil Nadu’s strong health system and its skilled doctors, who have made the state an internationally renowned health capital, have not cleared NEET.” ‘
The former judge of the Madras High Court said that there is no limit on the number of attempts in NEET. He said that “It promotes rote learning. There are many repeaters who prepare to go to private coaching classes after class XII and want to take higher percentage. How can you dump a class XII student who is 98 % marks? Even for IAS there is a limit of eight attempts, but for NEET there is no limit.”
Most of the parties, including the ruling DMK and the main opposition AIADMK, are unanimous on NEET. They are demanding cancellation of the exam saying that it is against social justice, rural and government school students.
Tamil Nadu had abolished the medical entrance examination for nine years, arguing that it was disadvantaged with respect to private coaching to poor and rural students. Whereas the DMK government had managed to get the President’s assent for exemption from NEET during the UPA regime. Then the DMK was part of the Congress government, which had brought NEET. The BJP had refused support despite pressure from its ally AIADMK. The AIADMK ruled the state for ten years from 2011.
