Students, parents protest NEET ordinance

However, as the state government is expecting exemption from the common entrance test, Samyukta and many others feel their efforts to prepare for the exam have all gone in vain. “I passed Class 12 from the state board last year with 94.8 per cent. I was worried that I would not get into any medical college. Therefore, I took a year off to prepare for NEET and scored good marks. Now, if the state is going to get the exemption, I will not be able to get into even a management seat with my Class 12 marks,” she said. 

Samyukta was one among many students and parents who gathered outside the Directorate of Medical Education protesting the Ordinance against NEET. Irked by the state governments’ move, a parent said, “The state did not put enough efforts to get the exemption ahead of time. As a responsible parent, I ensured that alongside my child’s preparation for her state board exams, she also studied the CBSE syllabus. We regret having wasted time and energy for the same.”

Many CBSE students too joined in the protest. “Though we have been studying the syllabus, it is not necessary that everyone will get through the NEET exam. It is unfair of the government to pass an ordinance now, after we have worked so hard. They are merely playing with our future,” said Arunkumar N, a CBSE student.