I studied in one of the best ICSE/ISC schools in my district. The syllabus was so tough that getting high marks was very difficult. If you got 80% in Maths and sciences, it was seen as a big achievement. However, 80% was insufficient for me to get into the state medical colleges where students studying state syllabus could easily get 200/200. But ISC prepared me to crack any top medical entrance exams in the country. I cracked three. CMC, Vellore, JIPMER Pondicherry and St.Johns, Bangalore. Eventually, I chose CMC, Vellore, as I could stay in my hometown.
History Of Entrance Exams In Tamil Nadu
Till 1989, students could get into a medical college through an interview but, that was found to be inadequate, and TNPCEE was first introduced in 1989 by Anna University. This was actually a very good filtering mechanism where students would be given admission based on a combination of 12th marks and the marks they secured in TNPCEE. The DMK government scrapped TNPCEE in 2006, and students got into medical colleges solely based on their 12th marks.
Problem With Current Education System In Tamil Nadu
After scrapping TNPCEE, another disturbing thing done by the then DMK government was to introduce Samacheer Kalvi, which did more harm than good. It further diluted the quality of the syllabus, thereby making it virtually impossible for students to crack tough competitive exams. With students getting into medical colleges solely based on their 12th marks meant the quality of doctors started getting poorer day by day. The other problem is that students can chase their papers easily, get 200/200 in important subjects, and get into a medical college.
Medical Entrance Exams In Other Countries
Cracking medical entrance exams is mandatory in most developed countries. For example, in Singapore, students have to crack the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to enroll in a medical program. This is similar to NEET in India.
Importance Of Medical Entrance Exams
Unlike engineering, where you learn the basic concepts once, and they don’t change much (except for some new software), medical education is always a continuing process as new diseases and medicine keep emerging. That is why there is something called continuing medical education (CME). Hence, students who aspire to become medical doctors need to have high aptitude, and entrance exams play a key role in evaluating that aptitude. That is why I am always in favour of medical entrance exams, especially for UG. Right now, with no filtering mechanism I place in Tamil Nadu, NEET is the only option available to test the caliber of potential doctors. At the same time, I feel there is no need for NEET for PG and other specializations because the aptitude of students is already tested once. MBBS graduates should be allowed to choose their PG based on their MBBS marks, and perhaps an additional interview would suffice.
History Of NEET
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET, was first tabled by the UPA II government in 2013 in which DMK was a coalition partner. It was taken up by the NDA government and implemented in 2017. Most of the states have embraced it, and students have started preparing for it and it has become a norm now. Even though there are problems in Tamil Nadu around NEET, 4 out of 10 students who crack NEET are Tamils which shows our innate fighting qualities.
Problem In Cracking NEET In Tamil Nadu
The main problem students in Tamil Nadu face in cracking NEET is the mismatch between their syllabus and the expectations from NEET. The questions asked in NEET are totally unconnected to what students studied until then, forcing them to take up NEET coaching, which has now become a big industry on its own. If I had taken up NEET today based on my ISC syllabus, I am confident I would have cracked NEET without undergoing any special coaching.
Politics Around NEET
As mentioned earlier, despite Tamils being successful in cracking NEET, sporadic suicides have made NEET a political issue. The current DMK government has used this issue for political dividends without addressing the crux of the issue. They have continuously given false promises to people that they will get an exemption from NEET. Exception from NEET is definitely impossible as the central govt, Supreme Court, and most state governments are in support of it. As mentioned earlier, as a doctor, I personally feel a competent filtering mechanism should be in place for medical courses. When all Congress state governments have accepted NEET, DMK promising that it will get Tamil Nadu exempted from NEET once the Congress govt comes to power in 2024 is really funny.
Possible Solution
The main problem around cracking NEET is the Tamil Nadu state syllabus which is subpar compared to CBSE and ICSE/ISC. With TNPCEE scrapped, we don’t have any option but to have NEET as the only filtering mechanism. What the Indian government in collaboration with the state government can do, is to bring a single syllabus across India that is formidable enough to crack any competitive entrance exam (NEET, JEE, etc). Maybe this can be addressed in the new education policy (NEP) introduced by the central government.
Conclusion
NEET is here to stay, and it is the responsibility of the state government to prepare its students for the exam rather than hoodwinking people that they will ban NEET, which is not going to happen at all. If there is one government responsible for NEET-related suicides, it has to be the current DMK government. Udhayanidhi is neither a scholar nor a doctor to understand this. I hope Tamil Nadu can be saved from him!
Dr. Praveen Kumar is a clinician-turned-scientist who is passionate about writing on current affairs.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram and WhatsApp and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.