Chennai: School education minister K A Sengottaiyan’s statement that the state govt is still trying to get the President’s nod for the Act exempting the students from Neet has triggered another round of debate. The common medical entrance test is scheduled to be held on May 7.
More than 88,000 students from TN have applied for the exam. But still, there is no clarity on whether the students from the state will get an exemption. Senior academicians accused the govt of playing with the future of students for political gains.
“The government from the beginning knows that they cannot get the exemption. But, still, they created confusion in the minds of the students by passing the act exempting the students from Neet,” a former VC said.
“Even after two months of passing the Act in the assembly, it is yet to get the President’s assent. So, without confusing students further they should ask them to prepare for the exam,” he added. But other educationists argued that the govt still has the chance to get the exemption.
P. B. Prince Gajendrababu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System, said, “The reason stated in the amendment bills 2016 which exempted the state quota seats from Neet, still holds good. So, if the Centre does not give its approval, the last resort will be approaching the court.”
The government has stated in the objective part of the amendment bill 2016 that the syllabi for the state level examinations are different from the AIPMT (All India Premedical Test) which is going to be the basis for the Neet phase-2 examination.
He also argued that the state of Tamil Nadu cannot be compared with other states as it abolished entrance exams following the expert committee’s report in 2006.
