Page 22 - EducationWorld Aug 2020 Flipbuilder
P. 22

Education News


                Unfortunately in all 29 states and   for government school students who
             seven Union territories, politicisation   clear NEET.
             of education is a pervasive reality.   “Between 2009-2016, less than 1
             And Karnataka is no exception.   percent of government school-leavers
                      Akhila Damodaran (Bangalore)   were admitted into medical colleges in
                                              Tamil Nadu. In private colleges too,
               TAMIL NADU                     of the 6,132 seats filled in those years,
             Soft quota option                only 65 were awarded to students of
                                              government schools. After the intro-
                                              duction of NEET in 2017, government
                   esponding  to  insistent  de-  school students are getting only one or
                   mand, an ordinance providing   two seats. The quota of 7.5 percent is a
             Ra 7.5 percent reserved quota    huge boon for government school stu-
             in Tamil Nadu’s 41 government and   dents. On the other hand, an equiva-
             private medical colleges for students   lent number of merit students ranked
             of state government higher secondary   above them in NEET will be excluded.
             schools who top the National Eligibil-  But if the government increases the
             ity cum Entrance Test (NEET) for ad-  total number of seats in the state’s
             mission into the country’s 542 medical   medical colleges, these students can
             colleges, was issued on July 14.  also be admitted,” says Manickavel
                According to a government spokes-  Arumugam, an alum of the Guindy
             person, this decision which carves out   Engineering College, National Uni-
             a “quota within a quota” for govern-  versity of Singapore and currently a   50 percent of the 37,500 government
             ment school students, is based on the   Chennai-based career counsellor.   schools in the state have recently
             recommendations of a committee     However, some academics believe   switched the medium of instruction
             headed by P. Kalaiyarasan, former   that the quota-within-quota legislated   from Tamil to English. But the very
             judge of the Madras high court. The   by the state government is a temporary   same teachers continue to teach them.
             panel proposed reservation between   band-aid solution. “The appropriate   How can these children fare well in
             7.5-10 percent for class XII school-  response is to raise teaching-learning   competitive national exams such as
             leavers graduating from government   standards in government schools. Un-  NEET?” queries ATB Bose, general
             schools affiliated with the Tamil Nadu   less  there  is  knowledge  application-  secretary of Association of Manage-
             Board of Secondary Education (TN-  based teaching in government schools,   ments of Private Schools of Tamil
             BSE). In effect, it means that of the   there will be widespread resentment   Nadu.
             total number of students from Tamil   against quotas and reservations in   n  the  other  hand,  Dr. Suresh
             Nadu who pass NEET, the top 7.5 per-  their favour,” warns Sudha Malini,  OBabu, professor  of economics
             cent from government schools will be   principal of the CBSE-affiliated RMK   at the top-ranked IIT-Madras, inter-
             admitted into Tamil Nadu’s govern-  Senior Secondary School, Thiruverka-  prets  the  special quota for  govern-
             ment and private medical colleges, at   du, which has 1,700 students and 90   ment school children in state medical
             the expense of students ranked higher   teachers on its muster rolls.    colleges as an initiative to stem the
             in NEET.                           The poor learning outcomes of chil-  continuous exodus of students to pri-
                This ordinance has been passed   dren in Tamil Nadu’s 37,500 govern-  vate schools. “This reserved quota is
             after widespread protests that stu-  ment schools is the result of decades of   an initiative to brighten the image of
             dents of government schools were at   government interference with teacher   government schools. In recent years,
             a disadvantage when writing NEET.   recruitment, lack of accountabil-  there’s been large scale migration of
             In this connection, it’s noteworthy   ity and language learning politics. “It   students from government to private
             that when NEET was introduced in   needs to be analysed why government   schools. In the southern districts of
             2017 to determine admission into   school-leavers are struggling to get ad-  Tamil Nadu like Kanyakumari, pri-
             all medical colleges countrywide, it   mission in medical colleges. The plain   vate schools are thriving. Therefore,
             evoked widespread protests in Tamil   truth is that most of them don’t have   the state government is trying to give
             Nadu and even provoked the suicide   laboratories which have become very   incentives such as cash awards and
             of a student who topped TNBSE, but   important as the MBBS syllabus has   special coaching to government school
             failed to qualify under NEET. There-  been revised. Due to non-availability   children writing NEET,” says Babu.
             fore on March 21, chief minister E.K.   of proper infrastructure and teacher   A more enlightened response of the
             Palaniswami announced the provision   accountability and confusion about   government and educracy of Tamil
             of a sub-quota in medical admissions   medium of instruction issues, almost   Nadu would be to carefully study and

             22    EDUCATIONWORLD   AUGUST 2020
   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27