NEET Data from Tamil Nadu

What is the issue?

A data from Tamil Nadu government on NEET pass percentages recently became available through the Madras High Court.
While the NEET puts the poor at a disadvantage, the focus must be on quality of school education.

What are the highlight findings?

A total of 3,081 candidates got admitted in MBBS course in 23 government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu in 2019.
As many as 1,040 of those candidates cleared NEET in the first attempt.
A majority of 2,041 cleared it either in the second or third attempt.
Of the total, only 48 candidates had not attended any coaching centre.
Only 1.6 % of all students who joined the government medical colleges had managed to get a seat without coaching.
Significantly, even in private medical colleges, only a marginally higher percentage (3.2) had got through without coaching classes.
A significant percentage of students in both government (66.2) and private colleges (64.4) had to take multiple attempts at NEET to get a seat.

What does the data imply?

The data shows a clear link between coaching classes and securing a medical seat.
As observed by the Court, the data on medical admissions proves NEET to be anti-poor.
The costs of coaching classes are huge, running into lakhs of rupees.
It clearly puts medical education out of the reach of the poorer sections as well as students from rural areas.

What should the response be?

With the poor being at disadvantageous position, there are calls to cancel the NEET.
The fundamental question, however, is the quality of education being imparted to students, in urban and rural areas.
Ensuring that quality education is imparted at schools by well-trained teachers would obviate the need for coaching outside of classes.
The need now is for the States to put in place a series of steps that would make learning meaningful, and fun for children.
In the interim, it should provide free NEET coaching classes to help disadvantaged students make that leap.

Source: The Hindu