Scrap NEET Examination That Ruins Poor Students’ Aspiration To Medical Education – SDPISocial Democratic Party of India National Vice-President Dhehlan Baqavi has stated here today that the NEET examination is a regressive step that ruins the aspirations of the poor students to avail medical education. Since the introduction of NEET exam to pursue medical education, the dreams of becoming Medical Professionals of the poor and downtrodden pupils from villages all over India have not only been shattered, but also have become an unreachable target for them. It seems that NEET is a tactic to provide medical education only to upper class pupils with rich economic background and to corporatize it. Disguised in the name of quality medical education the government is denying medical education to the poor. Only the pupils with rich background are able to avail costlier coaching for NEET. Central Government’s plan is to favour corporates and there are no welfare measures for pupils from poor economic background.BJP Central Government’s new rules and regulations of NEET and JEE Entrance exams are supposed to make distant the poor and downtrodden people of villages and tribal areas from getting medical education. By introducing such new measures in education, BJP Govt. have grabbed the opportunities of downtrodden people who were flourishing up due to education and reservations. They are being enslaved again by implementing entrance exams. Students’ eligibility and efficiency cannot be determined by mere entrance exams.This year, NEET entrance exam is held overriding severe resistances from several states. It’s shocking to know that three students from Tamil Nadu have ended their lives fearing to attend NEET Exam. It’s to be keenly noted that Tamil Nadu, though having the best educational infrastructure and the highest number of Medical Colleges in India, has been witnessing several suicides continuously due to fear of NEET. Poverty, mental stress, fear, difficulty in facing NEET’s different pattern of exam, lack of equal learning opportunity and lack of financial opportunities are among the many reasons behind the loss of lives of Tamil Nadu students.Tamil Nadu was exempted from NEET exams when UPA Governments were in power. Since BJP came to power at the centre, NEET was imposed on Tamil Nadu. Since the implementation of NEET in Tamil Nadu, 13 students have committed suicide so far. The Central and State Governments should be held responsible for these unprecedented deaths.In Tamil Nadu, before the introduction of NEET, students were selected for all higher education including medicine on the basis of the marks secured by them in their school final exams which enabled the students of Govt. Schools of villages to get admissions for higher education including medical science. By this system, all students irrespective of rich and poor got opportunities to avail higher education, and social justice was established. Because of this, Tamil Nadu was considered the best state for higher education including medical science.Since the introduction of NEET exam, it became very difficult for the poor and educationally backward students of village schools to seek medical education. Students scoring highest marks in State Board Schools are facing difficulties to attend NEET which is conducted on the basis of CBSE syllabus, and they undergo mental agony.Every state of India has different culture, language, lifestyle, heritage, and the learning environment of each state differs from other. It is the duty of the government to provide education according to the circumstances of the states. Every state has set up educational system and syllabus fitting their cultural and linguistic status, and the students are accustomed to it. In India, the southern states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka and North Eastern states have well developed their educational infrastructure. At the same time, many Northern states including UP and Bihar are still backward in educational infrastructure. Instead of developing such educationally backward states, the act of Central Govt. of interfering in the educational affairs of southern states and grabbing their educational rights by imposing such harsh entrance exams is not fair and acceptable. The theme of “One Nation, One Education System, One Entrance Exam” by the Central Govt. is harmful to Indian federal structure, as such theme would create enmity between the states.Development of education is only possible by constructing the educational infrastructure, not by imposing entrance exams. The hastily introduced National Educational Policy by the Central Govt. is not focused on developing the quality of education. Therefore, entrance exams for higher education including NEET for medical education should be scrapped. Further, the Central Govt. should stop interfering in the educational affairs of the states to protect the federal structure of country and to give importance to underdeveloped states to develop their educational infrastructure. The Central Govt. should come forward to establish sufficient number of educational institutions proportionate to population of the states and to abolish entrance exams, so as to enable every deserving student to pursue his or her higher education. All Indians irrespective of states should raise their voice against corporatism of education, urged Dehlavi.