‘Abolish NEET’: CM Vijay reiterates Tamil Nadu government’s firm stand against medical entrance exam

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday reiterated the state government’s opposition to NEET and other such entrance examinations for admission to higher education courses.

Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the task force on examination reforms, called on CM Vijay at the Secretariat for a meeting, which was attended by IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, former Union Education Secretary Anita Karwal and EkStep Foundation CEO Shankar Maruwada.

According to an official release, the state government recommended the complete abolition of NEET and similar examinations for admission to medical and other courses. In its place, the government told the High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) that Class 12 or intermediate marks should be the basis for



admissions.

The government also highlighted that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution opposing NEET this year on August 11.

Following the resignation of the former Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, on July 25, after almost a month-long CJP-led student protest, the Union government constituted the High-Powered Task Force in August, with Nilekani as its chairman, to come up with reforms in public examinations, including those conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The panel is examining ways to improve examination security, transparency, accessibility and infrastructure, while also focusing on student well-being and the use of technology to strengthen the examination system, according to the centre.