State seeks exemption from medical entrance test

Updated on: Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to exempt Tamil Nadu from the proposed national eligibility-cum-entrance examination for admission to undergraduate and post-graduate medical courses.

Protesting against the Union government's reported move, the Chief Minister, in her July 30 letter, recalled that the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare had assured Tamil Nadu that States would be consulted and their views considered before evolving any policy decision with regard to the conduct of an All India Common Entrance Test.

“The government of Tamil Nadu had also given its views, specifically stating that the All India Common Entrance Test will interfere with the rights of the State government in administering the education system and would create problems in implementing the reservation policy followed uniquely in our State.

However, it is now learnt that the government of India has gone ahead with the decision to implement the common entrance test.”

Referring to the abolition of the entrance examination in the State for professional courses from 2007–2008 as a sequel to the steps of the government since 2005, she said the abolition was made after an expert committee's detailed study, which found that rural students and students from lower socio-economic backgrounds were unable to compete with the urban elite students in such examinations, as they lacked the requisite training institutions and materials.

“The rural poor students cannot afford the fees charged by coaching centres, which impart training to face such competitive examinations.

This will be particularly true in the case of a national-level examination as the students who pass the 12th standard based on our State syllabi will not face a level-playing field as the topics covered for the entrance exam are likely to be different, leading to the need for separate training classes,” she said, adding that a large number of socially and economically backward meritorious rural students had benefited because of the decision to abolish the Common Entrance Examination for professional courses.
Medical manpower

The State had also been able to manage its medical manpower requirement in the rural areas due to the large number of rural students who got admission to UG courses in government medical colleges due to the existing admission policy.

Further, the State government had reserved 50 per cent of its medical PG seats for doctors, who had completed three years of rural service with special weightage for those working in hilly and tribal areas.

It had also obtained and enforced bonds from those completing postgraduate education in Government Medical Colleges to serve the State for a minimum period, which had helped to meet the need for specialist medical manpower.

“It will be legally difficult to implement these policy initiatives if a Common Entrance Test is introduced as we would have to fall in line with the regulations of the national test, which may not have such enabling provisions,” she added.

State seeks exemption from medical entrance test

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