Chennai, 23 July (H.S.):Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday renewed his demand for the abolition of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), contending that the examination has failed to achieve the objectives for which it was introduced and has instead deepened inequalities in access to medical education.

Reacting to the ongoing nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET, Stalin said the examination had become a symbol of structural flaws in the country's medical admission system. He urged the Union government to heed the concerns raised by students and reconsider the continuation of the common entrance test.

In a post on social media platform X, the DMK leader argued that NEET had not delivered on its promises of reducing students' academic burden, curbing the commercialisation of education or improving educational standards. Rather than strengthening school education, he said, the examination had shifted the focus of learning to private coaching centres, increasing financial and psychological pressure on students and their families.

Stalin maintained that the problems surrounding NEET were inherent to the system itself and not merely the result of administrative lapses. He said recent developments had only reinforced the concerns repeatedly voiced by Tamil Nadu and described the ongoing student protests as a wake-up call for the Centre to place greater trust in states while framing education policy.

His remarks came a day after he expressed solidarity with students protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where demonstrators have been demanding reforms and the abolition of NEET following allegations of irregularities in the examination.

Backing the protesters, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had warned from the outset that NEET would create conditions conducive to large-scale irregularities and unequal access to medical education. He reiterated that the DMK had consistently opposed the examination, arguing that it disadvantaged students from rural areas, government schools and economically weaker sections while undermining the principles of social justice.

Reaffirming Tamil Nadu's long-standing opposition to NEET, Stalin said only the complete abolition of the examination would ensure a fair, transparent and equitable medical admission system for students across the country.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman