In a major breakthrough for medical aspirants from Tamil Nadu, the State government has opened hundred NEET instruction centers across the state for government school students, in the reaction to ongoing controversy around NEET.

Latest News: NEET 2019 Result  will be declared on June 5, 2019.

The facility is applicable for domiciles of Tamil Nadu preparing for NEET 2018. The entire project includes free coaching for the examination as well as study kits. This is first of its kind initiative by any state, and comes as a welcome surprise for Tamil Nadu NEET aspirants.

In the official statement by the Minister for School Education in TN, K.A. Sengottaiyan, he says and I quote “Special coaching centers will enable students face competitive exams in the light of NEET issue in the State”

As per the guidelines from the State Government, the medium of instruction will be Tamil and English and students will be provided 30 books as part of training material. Provision of weekend classes has been asserted, so that regular studies don’t get affected.

Tamil Nadu vs NEET – The controversy...

NEET organized by CBSE is the only medical entrance examination in the country that was aimed at ending multiple entrance exams and complaints of corruption in admissions to medical colleges. The common medical entrance also meant to minimalize reservation quota and limiting the total attempt to three times against the old concept followed in Tamil Nadu, that of offering medical seats on the basis of marks obtained in Class 12, followed to help top students from rural backgrounds and financially weaker student who couldn't afford fees for coaching centers to become doctors.

After its debut run in 2016, the chants of “NEET against the interest of Tamil Nadu students” was flashing on social media and internet. The bone of contention behind this controversy was vastly different syllabus of CBSE (conducting body of NEET) and the Samacheer Kalvi, which is studied by 98 percent of Tamil Nadu students, and thus, leaving medical aspirants in the dark.

In response, TN Finance Minister D Jayakumar said, "We don't want NEET. We are doing our best." Meanwhile, two bills were passed in the state assembly to provide exemption from NEET for admission to medical courses in July, 2017. However, these bills were kept waiting for president’s nod and were later discarded as admissions to medical seats was done on basis of NEET Merit List.

The controversy got intense when a 17-year-old medical aspirant who had scored 1176 out of 1200 in her Class 12 exams from Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu committed suicide due to distress of failing to secure a medical seat.

All these controversies resulted in prompting the decision from Tamil Nadu state government for assistance of NEET aspirants who are particularly studying from the state board. On November 14, 2017, the first volume of the question bank for competitive exams, including NEET was launched along with 100 training centers for government school students. He also assured regarding improvements in the teaching quality in schools and that students will be trained to the extent that there will be no more deaths owing to NEET.

Implications of This Announcement!

As per the official announcement, close to 400 centers will be made operational which would ensure that all students will be trained to clear any entrance examination, which is definitely a bold move on the part of the State as it is first of it’s kind of decision and is aimed to cater the need of the financially weaker students of government schools.

This decision could also facilitate Smart classrooms for easy learning, distribution of laptops and educational CDs making the learning from home easy and simple among several others. These sessions will involve interaction of students with teachers and doubts clearance with the help of coordinators.

It will be like any other classroom session and as the training would be delivered by subject matter experts in the field, there will be no need to undergo different training sessions, and thus, students need not spend any additional cost on coaching for NEET Preparation or any other entrance examinations.

One can hope that both State and Centre work out a strategy, where students have the least suffering and also appreciate efforts like these from state government to resolve the apparent crisis.