The National Testing Agency has announced that NEET scores may now be used for admissions to nursing courses and BSc Life Sciences. So far, NEET scores were used to give medical seat admissions, but the decision to keep NEET as the qualifying exam for nursing courses and life sciences has left many educationists and activists fuming.
NEET has consistently been receiving criticism even since its implementation for eliminating candidates from socially and economically deprived backgrounds of opportunities to pursue medical education. Now that the exam is being made the qualifying test for nursing and life sciences as well, the decision is being massively criticised for further causing damage and snatching away opportunities from those students who come from difficult backgrounds.
Activist Prince Gajendra Babu had some scathing comments to make about the new NTA rule as well, “Soon they will make NEET mandatory for all degree courses and ensure that no one gets the opportunity to step into a college. Why do you need NEET for nursing or to study life sciences that includes subjects like botany and zoology?” He demanded to know why the state government has not yet taken a firm stand with regard to NEP as well, “NEP 2020 has not been discussed properly in the debate or the state assembly. No expert committee has recommended NEET either. NEET is in every way unconstitutional. Students belonging to weaker sections are being robbed of their dreams to pursue medical education, now even getting a regula degree is being made impossible for them. Now they have to spend lacs of rupees in coaching in order to be able to even enter a college,” he argued.
“The state government has already said that there aren’t enough teachers to take up NEET coaching for students. Then how is it right to make NEET the qualifying exam for other graduate courses. NEET is against social justice and it results in unequal access to education,” he added. He said that many great leaders like Phule and Periyar have worked so hard over so many years and even shed blood in the campus for equal access to education and that by introducing concepts like NEET, the Centre was undoing decades of struggle.
“The people of Tamil Nadu should oppose this anti-people policy. People should use their votes to ensure that we can uphold democracy and that MEET is withdrawn. All graduate courses should conduct admissions based on higher secondary examination scores. With COVID and the lockdown, students have lost out of a year of proper classes and education and at this point to bring in this new rule is unacceptable,” Prince said.
