Tamil Nadu vs Centre over NEET Bill

Why in news?

Recently, a father-son duo died by suicide in Tamil Nadu after failing the NEET exam twice.

What is NEET?

NEET is National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test

• Indian Medical Council Act states that there shall be a uniform entrance examination to all medical educational institutions at UG level and PG level through such designated authority.
• NEET is based on a core curriculum approach, whereby the syllabi of all the school boards have been taken into consideration.
• It is the only national-level qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian Medical and Dental Universities.
• Preparation- It has been prepared by the Council of Boards of School Education (CBSE), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and adopted by the Medical Council of India.
• Conducting authority- National Testing Agency will conduct national level qualifying tests.
• Issue- NEET has been conducted since 2013. The strong political opposition to the exam was triggered by the suicide of Anitha, a 17-year-old Dalit girl who was a school topper but had been unable to clear NEET in 2017.

NTA is an independent, autonomous, and self-sustained premier testing organization established under the Societies Registration Act (1860) by the Ministry of Education

What is the TamilNadu’s stand over NEET bill?

• Mechanical focus- NEET’s emphasis on marks disregards the importance of student quality and aptitude.
• Affects educational models- It has disrupted admired education models like that of Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, which emphasised aptitude over marks.
• Affects federal autonomy- The introduction of NEET has also dismantled the state’s in-service quota for medical graduates in the government sector.
• Undermines quality healthcare- Tamil Nadu’s health indices were attributed to the earlier system that retained PG doctors.
• The stalemate over NEET captures the struggle to balance uniformity and fairness with specific needs and values of a diverse society.
• Impacts equity education- It is alleged that only kids from affluent families who can afford coaching are being aided by NEET.
• Hence it raises entry barrier for underprivileged students and undermines equity in education.
• It also alleged that having a central level exam when syllabus varies from state to state is unfair and puts students under a lot of pressure.
• Frequent suicides- The state registers around 16 death by suicides due to failure in NEET exams.
• State as competent authority- It is said the state was the competent authority to regulate admissions for underprivileged social groups, as medical courses were traceable to the provisions of the Constitution.

What steps were taken by Tamil Nadu against NEET?

• Bills for state autonomy
  • The Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill 2017
  • The Tamil Nadu Admission to Postgraduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry Bill, 2017
• Both sought state autonomy in medical admissions, focusing on board examination scores for UG courses and undergraduate marks for PG courses, but both the bills were returned by President.
• A K Rajan Committee- It is constituted to examine whether NEET was an equitable method to select candidates for admission to medical courses.
• Key findings of the report-
  • NEET disproportionately benefited repeaters (71% in 2021) and coached students (99% in 2020), and discriminated against first-time applicants.
  • It noted a 50% decline in seat share in backward districts after the introduction of NEET, and an increased representation from urban centres such as Chennai.
  • Admissions fell among first-generation graduates, rural applicants, and candidates with small parental incomes
  • While the rural students maintained an average of 61.45% in the pre-NEET admission, it fell down to 49.91% in 2020-21 after NEET was introduced.
  • Urban students who fared 38.55% average in the pre-NEET rose to 50.09% in 2020-21 in the post-NEET.

• Recommendations of the report
  • It supported the state’s stance of NEET not being the ideal way of admissions.
  • NEET undermined societal diversity and favoured the affluent in medical education.
  • The committee recommended immediate steps to eliminate it through the passage of suitable legislation.
• Anti NEET Bill- Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 was passed in Tamil Nadu to dispense with NEET and allow admission to medical courses based on Class 12 marks.
• It is one of the recommendations of A.K.Rajan Committee.
• Governor didn’t give assent for the bill and cited the Supreme Court decision that upheld NEET.
• Governor returned the bill to the state government. The Assembly readopted the Bill within days, and the Governor subsequently forwarded the Bill to the President.
• State CM M.K.Stalin writes open letter to President seeking assent to NEET Exemption Bill.

Article 200- Every Bill passed in an Assembly has to be sent to the Governor, after which he has 4 options — assent the Bill, withhold assent, reserve the Bill for President or return the Bill to the legislature for reconsideration.

References

1. Indian Express- Equity and federalism battle over NEET Bill
2. Indian Express- State CM writes open letter to President