Chennai, Aug 11: Tamil Nadu’s Assembly on Tuesday renewed its demand for the abolition of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions, asking the Centre to amend laws to allow the state to admit students on the basis of their Class 12 examination marks. BJP MLA M. Bhojarajan opposed the resolution and walked out of the House before it was put to vote.
Moving the resolution, Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister K.G. Arunraj urged the Centre to make changes to the legal framework governing medical admissions. The proposed amendments cover the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020, the National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020, and other relevant Central enactments.
The state government argued that Tamil Nadu should be permitted to return to a system in which students seeking undergraduate medical admission are assessed on their performance in higher secondary examinations.
The resolution cited alleged irregularities in NEET, the expansion of costly coaching centres and student deaths among the reasons for seeking an end to the examination. It reiterated Tamil Nadu’s position that a common entrance test undermines social justice and equality and affects the rights of states in medical education.
The government also argued that NEET places students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds at a disadvantage, particularly those who studied in Tamil medium or cannot afford private coaching. According to the state’s position outlined in the resolution, the growth of coaching centres charging high fees has shifted students’ attention away from the regular school curriculum towards specialised preparation for the entrance examination.
The latest resolution is part of Tamil Nadu’s continuing opposition to NEET. The Assembly has previously adopted resolutions seeking an exemption from the examination.
In 2021, during the DMK government, the Assembly passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, which sought to exempt the state from NEET. The legislation was later reserved for consideration of the President, but presidential assent was eventually withheld.
The latest resolution seeks to revive the demand through amendments to the Central legal framework, allowing Tamil Nadu to determine admissions to medical courses using Class 12 marks instead of NEET.
The move again places the state’s long-standing disagreement with the centralised medical entrance system before the Centre, with Tamil Nadu arguing for greater control over its medical admission process.
