TN Panel to Abolish NEET

Justice A K Rajan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, has asked the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate steps to eliminate the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) through legal and legislative procedures and to make higher secondary examination marks the sole criteria for admission to first-year medical programmes.

The retired judge who led a high-level group has advised that the government offer equitable opportunities for students from various boards of education and implement score normalisation.

The panel was formed after the DMK took over power in the state in 2021 to investigate the impact of the NEET-based admission method. 

Based on comprehensive data analysis and feedback from students, parents, and the general public, the committee's study was published and distributed to various state governments to highlight NEET's anti-poor and anti-social justice tendencies.

In its recommendations, the committee said, "the State government may undertake immediate steps to eliminate NEET, as qualifying criteria for admission to medical programmes, by following the required legal and legislative procedures." The government may take a stand that the words' University education' found in Entry 25 List III are a 'general provision' and 'Regulation of Universities' in Entry II are a 'special' provision: Entry 32 is an exclusive State subject that cannot be ignored.

Admission to affiliated colleges under the TamilNadu Dr MGR Medical University is governed by Act 3 of 2007, and its regulations will fill seats. In this regard, the state may follow the necessary processes to comply with the legal and constitutional provisions, it stated.

The committee has put forth a significant proposal. It suggests that secondary scores should precede the primary admission criteria for first-degree medical programs. This shift towards a merit-based selection process aims to provide equal opportunities for students from diverse boards of education. To ensure fairness, the committee also recommends the use of score normalisation. 

"Based on the recommendations in the report, a Bill seeking exemption from NEET was unanimously passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. It is now awaiting Presidential assent, after an inordinate delay from the Tamil Nadu Governor's side," Stalin said.

As nationwide opposition to NEET grew due to the recent large-scale discrepancies, the Chief Minister said in his post, "We are sharing the report of Justice A K Rajan Committee in English and all major Indian languages for everyone to better understand the ill effects of NEET."