Can only the rich become doctors?
Latest Tamil Nadu Government Data Reveals Astonishing Statistics, Only 1.6% Students Cleared NEET Without Expensive Private Coaching
Private coaching centers have been mushrooming all over the country for quite few years now. But no one had thought they would be an influence to the point where education in India couldn’t be seen without these expensive coaching centers. The latest Tamil Nadu government reports throws spotlight on the same. Out of all the students only 1.6% medical students did it without being under the umbrella of any private medical coaching giant.
The government report clearly highlighted the fact that only 48 of the total 3,081 students who secured a seat in one of the 23 government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu did not take private coaching. This stresses the fact that National Eligibility and Entrance Test(NEET) administered by National Testing Agency(NTA) for admission in MBBS and BDS programmes of colleges all over the country, has been designed in such a way that the students who are a part of the expensive coaching institutes, take an undeniable benefit every year.
The Tamil Nadu government data also highlighted the fact that out of all the people who cleared NEET examination, most were the ones who were not attempting it for the first time. A total of 2,041 students secured a seat, clearing the NEET examination and they were all attempting it for the second or third time. While only 1,040 students cleared the test in their very first attempt.
A similar scenario was scene in the private medical colleges too. A total of 52 aspirants cleared NEET without the help of any coaching. Whereas, on the other side, 1,650 students took extravagantly expensive coaching classes to crack the exam. And in private colleges too only 588 aspirants cleared the examination in the first attempt. A majority of 1,062 students was of the ones clearing it after multiple attempts.
The Madras High Court observed this problem and took note of the fact that the poor cannot afford to attend private coaching classes for NEET as the expenses are as high as Rs 5 lakh. This is hence a huge discriminating disadvantage for the poor strata of the society. The High Court prompted in its interim order, that the aspirants from rural districts suffer not only because of the lack of money to afford expensive private coaching classes but also due to lack of facilities and the central government should do something regarding the same issue. The Madras High Court further prompted the observation that that those appearing for Class XII board exams and taking the NEET examination too are at a great disadvantage as they have to study for NEET too along with their regular board studies. Whereas, those who are attempting the examination for the second, third or nth time get plenty of time to prepare for the NEET entrance examination.The high court urged the central government to see to the fact that how unequals are treated as equals in NEET examination, making the whole examination biased in a sense.
"Why can't the Centre cancel NEET like other systems implemented by the Congress-DMK regime? NEET discriminates against the poor," the high court stated highlighting the fact that the very reason NEET was introduced was to stop the flow of money in medical admissions. But in a way, that scenario still persists. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin also mentioned in his tweet that, “Whenever we raised an apprehension that NEET is destroying medical education dreams of poor people, Central Government tried to fix ulterior motives to it. But now, the Madras High Court has seconded it. At least now, the State and the Central Government should take the social justice path.”
This is neither the first nor the last time NEET examination is coming into limelight because of a controversy. The initial NEET controversy in Tamil Nadu surfaced when the Dean of the government medical college in Theni received two emails stating that a candidate named Udit Surya cleared the NEET entrance examination in his third attempt after failing in the first two. The point that rose eyebrows was that the third time he had appeared in Mumbai for NEET and was not the same person who was pursuing the course. This was found by the college authorities when there was a mismatch in the photographs of the students NEET identity card and general identity card.
There are a lot of questions that are being raised about NTA’s NEET examination, we’ll have to wait and see what the central government has to say about it and what will be there take towards making NEET less biased and fair for all.
Lakshya Dube
@mycareerpathshala
