Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government will continue to oppose National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Neet) as a matter of policy and also through legal means, health minister Dr C. Vijayabaskar informed the Assembly.
“The government has been consistent in opposing Neet for admission to medical and post graduate medical courses…. based on the directives of Supreme Court (Aug. 22, 2017) the admission to MBBS and BDS courses were made based on Neet marks adopting existing rules of reservation in Tamil Nadu. The government will continue to oppose Neet as a matter of policy and also through legal means,” a policy note on health and family welfare tabled in the Assembly on Thursday by the minister said.
Later initiating a debate on the issue, DMK legislator Senthil Kumar claimed that the examination was a setback to the poor and rural students who could not make it to medical colleges. He sought to know if Neet was meant only for the elite in society.
Responding, Vijayabaskar said there was no deviation in the State’s policy on opposing Neet. Tamil Nadu has to comply with the court’s directive and infact the test had enabled many aspirants from the State to make it medical colleges.
Endorsing him, school education minister K. A. Sengottaiyan said, despite paucity of time, the government managed to organise coaching for the government school students who too had performed well in Neet.
