TAMILNADU PROTESTING THE NEET
There was a news item that a doctor in his mid forties, had been de-listed by the MCI as he did not have the requisite qualification to practice medicine. The reason for that drastic action was that the doctor obtained his medical degree from one of the universities in Russia where a pass in the school final exam (+2 in India) is not mandatory for pursuing the course leading to a degree in medicine; incidentally he did not pass the +2 examination in India which is mandatory for any under-graduate study in India. This was widely reported in the media This news and the large number of students of class 12 pass and fail going abroad to some dubious universities to get a medical qualification made the Supreme Court sit up and take note of the same. The MCI which is the governing body of the medical education in India had submitted that such qualifications are not recognised by them and hence people with qualifications from such universities cannot practice medicine in the country. After a detailed submission by the government and the MCI, the Supreme Court directed that to improve the quality of medical education in the country, it is essential that there should be a common entrance test at all India level and directed the MCI to prepare the same and directed the government to hold such a test. Thus came the now hotly debated National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) to be implemented in the country in 2015. The matter was discussed during the UPA-2 tenure in the government and approved by almost all the parties in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha except the members in the LS and RS of the present ruling party in Tamilnadu voting against it. This is the recorded history in the debates and voting on the NEET in the parliament. The preamble to the bill itself is discussing the directions of the Supreme Court of India. The CBSE which was holding the earlier All India Pre Medical and Pre Dental Test (AIPMT) was entrusted by the MCI to conduct this NEET. This is the genesis of the NEET.
In the aftermath of globalisation with the economy galloping to compete with the best, post starting of reforms in the country during the regime of PVN Rao and MMS in the early 1990s, there was an acute need felt for qualified persons to manage the affairs within the country. Hence the UGC was directed to identify the institutes which can be considered for becoming universities albeit in private sector; this became the reason for many institutes of higher learning became deemed universities in private sector. This continued during the times of ABV also. But the slide in the quality of such upgrade started during the times of the UPA-1 when the then MCI chief approved many applications to start medical colleges and universities without the mandatory facilities. The health minister in those days was from a party in TN who himself is a doctor.
Having said that, now looking back at the situation obtaining in Tamilnadu since the unfortunate suicide of a student, one wonders whether there is a concerted effort on the part of the political parties and fringe elements to wage a war on the country. There appears to be absolutely no effort on the part of the administration in the state to quell such attempts by various fringe elements in the state who are demanding cessation from the country. There is also no attempt to improve the education level in the state, though it is claimed by many that the text books in TN for state syllabus are at par with the NCERT books prescribed for CBSE. The standard of valuation has gone down the drain with as many as 20 to 25% of the students passing getting more than 98% score in the final exams. The student who committed suicide also may be a victim of such lackadaisical valuation; or she may be a brilliant memoriser who could cram the subjects to repeat in the exam to score such high marks. If she had scored such high marks in school final exam then what prevented her in scoring the minimum needed for getting into the medical school is a question that begs an answer.
The political parties are whipping up passion of the students and making them lose their valuable time in classes. The students are protesting against NEET. One of the teachers who resigned protesting against the NEET is reportedly appearing frequently in a TV Channel as a moderator in debate programs. This TV channel is owned by the family of the promoters of one of the private universities where engineering and medicine are the main courses of study. From the protests that are spiraling out of control in TN, with the advocates joining the same, there are students from regular Science and Arts colleges like Scot Christian in Nagarcoil, Loyola in Chennai etc. are joining it. The suspicion of the common man is getting strengthened that this protest is nothing but to defame the central government and the prime minister by vested interests. What is the need for the students of the regular colleges like Loyola or Scot Christian to join the protest? Who instigated them to join? Who is funding these protests by the students and the political and fringe parties? The happenings in the state, give one a feeling of similarity to the protest against Kudankulam nuclear power project which was reportedly bankrolled by the NGOs getting funds from abroad.
There are reportedly 5000 seats in private medical colleges remaining unfilled even after repeated counselling of aspiring students. One of the premier medical colleges of south India CMC, Vellore had advised that it has stopped admission of fresh candidates for their medical college this year, saying that NEET based admission is detrimental to their minority status where almost 80% of seats every year go to the Christians only. These actions of private colleges indicate that the promoters of medical colleges in private sector are the losers due to this test and not the student community. The seats that can be sold to the highest bidder are now lost thanks to the NEET. The promoters of the private medical colleges and vested interests, have lost a veritable cash cow. This has made them take the tool of protest and reportedly funding the protest by the political parties and students.
They political parties are having a different agenda altogether. The main opposition party has been bested in the last election and the leader of that party feels that he had been cheated from becoming a chief minister. With the untimely demise of the former chief minister of the state and with the wranglings within the ruling party, he feels now is the right time to move the coins to get back to be the chief minister albeit through the backdoor. Despite all his protests with the governor of the state and the anticipated split in the ruling front not happening, a section of the legislators from the ruling party demanding with the governor to change the chief minister, nothing seems to have worked to help his plan. The privileges committee expected to meet to decide the fate of a sizeable number of the legislators of his party on the issue of banned Gutka looming large, he had taken the unfortunate suicide of the student as a tool to get his agenda fulfilled. It had been a practice of the political parties in TN to use the students like napkins and after use throw them away. Be it the anti Hindi agitation in the mid 1960s, or against the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam or against the jallikattu ban recently or the ongoing agitation against the ONGC projects in the state, the student passion is whipped up and once the agenda is fulfilled, the welfare of the students is totally forgotten.
From the biased media most of which is controlled by the promoters of various universities in private sector in the state or by political parties, it is seen that the protest is ballooning. The reality in the street is different. Though there is protest, it has not become so wide spread to affect the life of common man. The parties had been very careful that the protest does not spill out onto the streets affecting the common man. The recent statement by the leader of the main opposition party that they will see the present administration in the state capitulate is an indication as to what is the agenda of the political parties in this protest against NEET.
In this turbulent times for the student community, there appears to be no sane voice except that of the former vice chancellor of Anna University Dr.Balaguruswamy. The academician that he is, he has sounded the right bells to warn the students against this unwanted protest. But the student community is being mislead by the leaders of the political parties and the fringe elements who want to get their agenda met by hook or crook. It is the duty of the teaching community to come forward and explain as to what is needed of the students instead of protesting. But it appears that they are caught up in their own protest which also seems to be politically motivated as the timing of their protest is suspect. The students may do themselves loads of good if they heed the advice of Dr.Balaguruswamy and refrain from this meaningless protest. It will be to the detriment of the state if this protest is allowed to go out of hand and Supreme Court had issued a timely warning to the state administration to stop this protest and take strict action against protesters.
In the aftermath of globalisation with the economy galloping to compete with the best, post starting of reforms in the country during the regime of PVN Rao and MMS in the early 1990s, there was an acute need felt for qualified persons to manage the affairs within the country. Hence the UGC was directed to identify the institutes which can be considered for becoming universities albeit in private sector; this became the reason for many institutes of higher learning became deemed universities in private sector. This continued during the times of ABV also. But the slide in the quality of such upgrade started during the times of the UPA-1 when the then MCI chief approved many applications to start medical colleges and universities without the mandatory facilities. The health minister in those days was from a party in TN who himself is a doctor.
Having said that, now looking back at the situation obtaining in Tamilnadu since the unfortunate suicide of a student, one wonders whether there is a concerted effort on the part of the political parties and fringe elements to wage a war on the country. There appears to be absolutely no effort on the part of the administration in the state to quell such attempts by various fringe elements in the state who are demanding cessation from the country. There is also no attempt to improve the education level in the state, though it is claimed by many that the text books in TN for state syllabus are at par with the NCERT books prescribed for CBSE. The standard of valuation has gone down the drain with as many as 20 to 25% of the students passing getting more than 98% score in the final exams. The student who committed suicide also may be a victim of such lackadaisical valuation; or she may be a brilliant memoriser who could cram the subjects to repeat in the exam to score such high marks. If she had scored such high marks in school final exam then what prevented her in scoring the minimum needed for getting into the medical school is a question that begs an answer.
The political parties are whipping up passion of the students and making them lose their valuable time in classes. The students are protesting against NEET. One of the teachers who resigned protesting against the NEET is reportedly appearing frequently in a TV Channel as a moderator in debate programs. This TV channel is owned by the family of the promoters of one of the private universities where engineering and medicine are the main courses of study. From the protests that are spiraling out of control in TN, with the advocates joining the same, there are students from regular Science and Arts colleges like Scot Christian in Nagarcoil, Loyola in Chennai etc. are joining it. The suspicion of the common man is getting strengthened that this protest is nothing but to defame the central government and the prime minister by vested interests. What is the need for the students of the regular colleges like Loyola or Scot Christian to join the protest? Who instigated them to join? Who is funding these protests by the students and the political and fringe parties? The happenings in the state, give one a feeling of similarity to the protest against Kudankulam nuclear power project which was reportedly bankrolled by the NGOs getting funds from abroad.
There are reportedly 5000 seats in private medical colleges remaining unfilled even after repeated counselling of aspiring students. One of the premier medical colleges of south India CMC, Vellore had advised that it has stopped admission of fresh candidates for their medical college this year, saying that NEET based admission is detrimental to their minority status where almost 80% of seats every year go to the Christians only. These actions of private colleges indicate that the promoters of medical colleges in private sector are the losers due to this test and not the student community. The seats that can be sold to the highest bidder are now lost thanks to the NEET. The promoters of the private medical colleges and vested interests, have lost a veritable cash cow. This has made them take the tool of protest and reportedly funding the protest by the political parties and students.
They political parties are having a different agenda altogether. The main opposition party has been bested in the last election and the leader of that party feels that he had been cheated from becoming a chief minister. With the untimely demise of the former chief minister of the state and with the wranglings within the ruling party, he feels now is the right time to move the coins to get back to be the chief minister albeit through the backdoor. Despite all his protests with the governor of the state and the anticipated split in the ruling front not happening, a section of the legislators from the ruling party demanding with the governor to change the chief minister, nothing seems to have worked to help his plan. The privileges committee expected to meet to decide the fate of a sizeable number of the legislators of his party on the issue of banned Gutka looming large, he had taken the unfortunate suicide of the student as a tool to get his agenda fulfilled. It had been a practice of the political parties in TN to use the students like napkins and after use throw them away. Be it the anti Hindi agitation in the mid 1960s, or against the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam or against the jallikattu ban recently or the ongoing agitation against the ONGC projects in the state, the student passion is whipped up and once the agenda is fulfilled, the welfare of the students is totally forgotten.
From the biased media most of which is controlled by the promoters of various universities in private sector in the state or by political parties, it is seen that the protest is ballooning. The reality in the street is different. Though there is protest, it has not become so wide spread to affect the life of common man. The parties had been very careful that the protest does not spill out onto the streets affecting the common man. The recent statement by the leader of the main opposition party that they will see the present administration in the state capitulate is an indication as to what is the agenda of the political parties in this protest against NEET.
In this turbulent times for the student community, there appears to be no sane voice except that of the former vice chancellor of Anna University Dr.Balaguruswamy. The academician that he is, he has sounded the right bells to warn the students against this unwanted protest. But the student community is being mislead by the leaders of the political parties and the fringe elements who want to get their agenda met by hook or crook. It is the duty of the teaching community to come forward and explain as to what is needed of the students instead of protesting. But it appears that they are caught up in their own protest which also seems to be politically motivated as the timing of their protest is suspect. The students may do themselves loads of good if they heed the advice of Dr.Balaguruswamy and refrain from this meaningless protest. It will be to the detriment of the state if this protest is allowed to go out of hand and Supreme Court had issued a timely warning to the state administration to stop this protest and take strict action against protesters.
The current widespread protests against NEET, a reaction to the death of a rural medical aspirant Anitha, are again a sign of a larger malaise within the Tamil society. And what is that?
ReplyDeleteMISINFORMATION.
Yes, Misinformation or half-baked information is the biggest problem plaguing not just the Tamil society, but the entire Indian society.
Since the popularization of social media, there has been a steady dumbing-down of the populace..
NEET provided a perfect recipe for another round of protests. It was something that was imposed by Supreme Court and Central government and it was a measure that indirectly benefitted coaching institutions. Thus two pet issues of Tamil Internet warriors- North Indian domination and domination by private,rich players came into fore.
This was a disaster waiting to happen. Despite very clear instructions from Supreme Court that the exception granted last year was a special provision granted to that year only, many people especially in Tamil Nadu administration refused to take it seriously. They continued to behave in a lackadaisical manner hoping against hope, that the old system would be followed. The state government, which in a comatose since the last 1 year, did nothing to change the State board syllabus to bring it in line with the NEET syllabus.
Now that the chickens have come home to roost, everyone is passing the buck onto the Centre and Modiji, their favorite punching bag. And the social media too has joined the ruckus by saying things like how this is a move to promote the rich and how this is a conspiracy to promote North Indians or how this is a ploy to stop reservation policy.
Every single argument being propagated by the protestors are false and can easily be demolished if only you’d pay attention to facts. Let us take a look at some of their arguments.
NEET would empower the coaching industry. Well, didn’t the system of deciding admission based on 12th marks empower the school industry. People charge that coaching institutions would charge around 1–2 lakhs. Well, you do not have a problem if schools charge exorbitant money, you have problem with coaching institutes alone?
NEET favors North Indians. No Sir, no North Indian is coming to steal your seat. The State government still retains the right to admit students from its state as followed previously.
NEET favors urban-based students. Yes, but so did the previous system. Students who had access to top-notch schools always had an advantage over students studying in government schools. Yes, there were always instances of government school students who prepared well. Inform the students well in advance the next time and you would see the same percentage of students from government schools clearing the exams next time.
NEET favors CBSE students. Yes, it will as long as Tamil Nadu State Board books are sub-standard. Improve the standards of the books and you will see State board students competing equally with CBSE students.
My advice to the protestors would be stop seeing everything as a conspiracy against them and start thinking rationally.