Chennai: Despite the Supreme Court making matters simple for each state by introducing question papers in vernacular languages, educationists and doctors feel that students in Tamil Nadu will still struggle to tackle the NEET.
“Though the question paper may be in Tamil, it will still be difficult as it is an All-India exam. It will affect the rural students and those who studied in government schools,” said Sami. Sathyamurthy, president, Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Headmasters’ Association.
Many parents are unaware of the seriousness of this issue as the state is now focusing mostly on elections. Politicians, at the moment, have no time to worry about the fate of students, he said.
Despite the fact that eight lakh students are expected to appear for Neet, a very small percentage will be from Tamil medium schools. “Even though the question papers may be in Tamil, English medium students from state board will still struggle,” said G. R. Ravindranath of Doctors’ Association for Social Equality.
“The students are not mentally prepared, so the fact that the question paper will also be in Tamil will benefit students only 10 per cent. The students are not used to MCQ or negative marking, which will only add to their difficulty,” he added.
It has been seen that 90 per cent of the students who wish to join medical colleges are from state board schools and only 10 per cent from CBSE schools.
“The syllabus is voluminous and of a higher level for which two and-a-half to three months are not sufficient,” said V. Kanagasabai, Registrar, Bharath University and a former dean of Madras Medical College. He said the fact the question papers will also be in Tamil is a very small advantage.
“The direct interference of the Centre in the state’s issues is unconstitutional as it violates the State’s rights. The Supreme Court had not taken the 2002 Act into consideration and the Presidential acknowledgement of the Act was also ignored. This is a very unfair judgement,” said educationist Prince Gajendrababu.
“Students cannot be compelled to take Neet. NCERT textbooks are not available in Tamil, which is a disadvantage for Tamil medium students.
