COIMBATORE: Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that of 2,975 students, who joined MBBS in the 2014-15 academic year, only five per cent studied in state-funded schools.
The Directorate of Medical Education, in its reply to an RTI query has said that a total of 2,975 MBBS seats were available in 2014-15, which included 2,237 seats in government medical colleges and 738 seats in private colleges. Of the students who joined the course, 37 (1.24 per cent) were from government schools, three (0.1 per cent) from corporation schools and 96 (3.23 per cent) from government-aided schools, while 2,839 students (95.43 per cent) were from private schools.
On the contrary, about 70 per cent of students who appear for Class XII examinations are from government schools, but only just over one per cent of them managed to gain admission in medical colleges.
The School Education Department should analyse the reasons for the low level of enrolment of government school students in medical colleges and initiate remedial measures, said the MDMK. “The department should create an atmosphere conducive to prepare for medical entrance exams,” urged MDMK youth wing secretary V Eswaran, who obtained the information under the RTI Act.
Instead of just focusing on improving pass percentage, government schools should develop quality of education, he added.
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