Almost three months have gone and one semester done, government’s State-level free National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) coaching classes for government school students are yet to begin.
While the government, in collaboration with a private training institute, Eetoos, held an orientation for select students from Chennai, Coimbatore and Erode alone recently, commencement of classes are awaiting the nod of School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan, said department sources.
Students fear that this will give their affluent counterparts, who can afford private coaching, an edge over them. Paid coaching by private institutions started during the summer vacation and many students start training for these exams even from Standard VI.
With quarterly examinations beginning in the third week of this month, it may be difficult to start NEET coaching before that, the source said, adding, “The government has scheduled a training programme for 320 government school teachers from across the State this weekend. These teachers, who will be conducting the training for students, will undergo a two-day training at Erode. However, classes will begin only after the minister announces the starting date.” Even as classes have not started, some government schools have started giving students model tests.
The government’s free coaching classes will be conducted during weekends in centres across the State, and about 50 students were selected for each centre through a screening held early in August. Only students who qualified in that screening, will be allowed to attend the coaching this year, while all interested students were allowed to attend it last year. Students who perform well will be given an intensive two-month training.
