Less takers for state’s online NEET coaching as clarity evades

There was no clarity with regard to the state’s free online coaching for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) with only about three months to go for another test, which was still opposed by the Tamil Nadu government.

The admissions to medical colleges for this academic year have just been completed, medical aspirants in government schools this season, who do not have any clue whether the NEET would be scrapped or not, were yet to actively participate in the existing free training, said sources in the School Education Department.

The then previous AIADMK government, which also tried its efforts to permanently scrap the NEET, but could not win, had launched free NEET physical class training for the students studying in state-run schools from 2018.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions and subsequent total lockdown since March 2020, the NEET coaching was conducted online via the e-box platform with more than 20,000 students on roll.

However, a senior official from the School Education Department, which monitors the free NEET training for government students, seeking anonymity, said now only about a thousand students were enrolled in training, which is still continuing.

“It was also not known how many students were actively participating in the free NEET coaching,” he said adding “many medical aspirants were still uncertain whether the government would scrap NEET from this year and they were reluctant to actively participate in the online training programme.”

Meanwhile, sources in the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET exam, said that this year the medical entrance test is likely to be conducted in June or July instead of May.

School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi also added that though the government is firm on abolishing the NEET permanently, the free online training would continue for the students. “The training would continue despite the government efforts to scrap NEET,” he added.

The official from the School Education Department further pointed out that the government is also trying to further enhance the online NEET training as the medical entrance is nearing. “In addition, the authorities have also planned whether to conduct physical NEET training classes as it was done before the pandemic situation,” he added.