On Sunday, a 19-year-old student from Salem district, who was supposed to sit for the test, died allegedly by suicide.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, introduced a bill in the assembly on Monday calling for the state’s exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to medical courses, NDTV reported.
The development came a day after a 19-year-old student from Salem District, who was supposed to take the test, allegedly committed suicide, The Hindu reported.
The student died a few hours before the exam. He hadn’t passed the test twice before.
“There is no suicide note, but circumstantial evidence points to suicide due to fear of exams as he failed twice in the past and was unable to get medical admission,” he said. an unidentified police officer told the Hindustan Times.
The officer said the student was under pressure because his family forced him to take the exam.
As the teenager’s death sparked a blame game in the state, Chief Minister Stalin urged students not to be discouraged.
“This government has a responsibility to ensure that your future is better,” Stalin said, quoted by The Hindu on Sunday. “He will continue the legal fight until the Union government withdraws the NEETs.”
The abolition of NEETs was one of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s main promises ahead of the legislative elections in Tamil Nadu in April.
In Tamil Nadu, medical admissions were based on students’ scores on Class Council 12 exams. But in 2017, the Center made NEET mandatory for students in all states and school boards.
NEET was prepared by the Central Secondary Education Council, based on its own curriculum, which was very different from the Tamil Nadu council curriculum. Because of this, Tamil Nadu opposed the exam, arguing that a common entrance test would hurt the prospects of state council students.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the opposition blamed the Tamil Nadu government for the student’s death, The Hindu reported.
“This exam passed the Supreme Court exam and in 2020 saw the highest number of Tamil students pass,” Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai tweeted. “The DMK which is in politics with NEET is directly responsible for his death.”
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