CHENNAI: In September, when the Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, was passed in the State assembly, the DMK government raised the hope of many demanding the scrapping of NEET. However, in the last three months, there has been no progress in the matter.
The future of the bill, which says that medical admissions in the State would happen by considering class 12 marks only, remains uncertain as it is still lying in the governor's office and yet to be forwarded to the president for his assent. Amid all this, the students preparing for NEET and their parents are waiting for clarity regarding the implementation of the bill.
"To help me prepare myself better for NEET, my father switched my school from State Board to CBSE board last year. Now I am in Class 10. The government should at least give some clarity on whether we will get an exemption from NEET or not. If yes, I can happily go back to the State board school and save my parents’ money," said K Srikanth, a student undergoing NEET coaching at a centre in Velachery.
Parents, too, are equally worried. "The bill was passed, it made newspaper headlines and then the government forgot about it. It should be made clear whether the bill should be implemented from this academic year or not. This ongoing confusion is definitely affecting the children," said Shipra Venkateswaran, mother of a student.
Academician and former vice-chancellor of Anna University, E Balagurusamy, feels the move was nothing more than a political gimmick. "Scrapping of NEET in the State was a poll promise made by DMK and they fulfilled it by passing the bill without examining its practicability. The students should not get into all this and religiously prepare for NEET," said Balagurusamy.
The anti-NEET bill was passed on September 13 and then it was forwarded to the governor's office. RN Ravi assumed the office of the governor on September 18 and since then it’s lying in his office.
General Secretary for State Platform for Common School System, Prince Gajendra Babu, had filed an Right to Information (RTI) plea to know the current status of the bill and the governor’s office replied the file was under consideration. "There has been an undue delay. We urge the governor to send the bill to the president as soon as possible," said Babu.
Political gimmick?
Academician and former vice-chancellor of Anna University, E Balagurusamy, feels the move was nothing more than a political gimmick