The necessary politics over NEET
Published on: 21 September 2023, 04:15 am
The ongoing debate surrounding the NEET in Tamil Nadu highlights the challenges and consequences of centralisation, emphasising the disconnect between policymakers and students' experiences while addressing the broader conflict between nationwide standardisation and federal autonomy in India's education system.
—
ON the occasion of Independence day this year, M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, made headlines for demanding the transfer of 'education' back to the State List.
Education was shifted from the State List to the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution which means both state legislatures as well as the Parliament can make laws on it.
On occasion, political and civil society leaders have made their dissent for this transfer known.
The issue resurfaced in the news recently when S. Jagadeeswaran, a nineteen-year old National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant, committed suicide after facing disappointment over his performance in the exam.
“Centralised examinations such as NEET perpetuates the cycle of coaching and reliance on private institutes for specialised training
Two days later, his father, Selvasekar, also committed suicide.
Stalin expressed his concern and provided an assurance that the government will take steps to ban the NEET exam in the state.