CHENNAI: The string of crises in the higher education sector, the latest of which was the cancellation of NEET-PG, was indicative of a broken system of centralised selection and a wake-up call to restore the states’ right to determine selection process for professional courses, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday.

He was commenting about the postponement of NEET-PG entrance examination.

In a message posted on his official ‘X’ page, Stalin said, "The cancellation of NEET-PG by NBE, following the cancellation of UGC-NET, has thrown thousands of our doctors into deep despair. Let us not forget the fact that these happenings are not one-off events but the final nails in the coffin of an incompetent and broken system of centralised selection."

The unravelling of the scam was an opportunity to plan for a better future by building a fair and equitable selection process for professional courses, ensuring the primacy of school education and making it the base for careers, and restoring the rights of states to determine their selection process for professional courses, Stalin added.

Just hours before the exam was to be held, the Centre announced late on Saturday that NEET-PG was postponed as a "precautionary measure" due to the recent allegations on the integrity of certain competitive exams. It did not mention any tentative date for it to be held.