Jaya wants no NEET in future

Chennai, May 25

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked the central government to ensure that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for MBBS and dental courses was not forced on the state even in the future.

Jayalalithaa said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday that although an ordinance exempting states from holding the examination this year has put to rest “mental agony, stress and anxiety of lakhs of students and their parents aspiring for medical admissions this year”, the exemption be applied in the future as well, arguing that Tamil Nadu's "situation” was “distinct and different from other states". 

She also listed her government’s measures since 2005 for streamlining admissions into medical colleges, even abolishing entrance exams through a law.

"This measure was taken keeping in view the interests of students, particularly from the weaker sections and rural areas, to ensure that a level playing field is created." “Introduction of NEET would be a direct infringement on the rights of the State and would cause grave injustice to the students of Tamil Nadu who have already been covered by a fair and transparent admission policy laid down by the Government of Tamil Nadu, which has been working well," she said.

She asked the Prime Minister to ensure that Tamil Nadu was permitted to "continue (with) its existing fair and transparent system of admission to medical colleges and dental colleges in the state and not forced to implement the NEET even in the future", arguing that the examination would be detrimental to rural students who lacked resources to enroll into training institutions and access materials available to urban students.  — PTI