Report of the High Level Committee To Study The Impact of NEET on Medical Admissions in Tamil Nadu 2021

The Government of Tamil Nadu constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Dr. A. K. Rajan, former judge of the Madras High Court, in the year 2021. This 9-member team was tasked to examine if the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is a mandatory entrance exam for undergraduate medical courses in India, has adversely impacted students from marginalised sections of society. It directs its attention towards students who are "rural and urban poor, those who studied in government schools, those who studied in Tamil medium, or any other section of students in Tamil Nadu."

The committee reviews if NEET is an equitable and just method of admitting students to medical institutions in India. It also suggests steps which can be taken to protect the rights of the state of Tamil Nadu, for advancing the principles of social justice and to fulfill the mandate of the Constitution to provide equal and equitable “access to health” for all. Importantly, the committee also studies the effect of the many NEET coaching centres growing across Tamil Nadu which charge exorbitant fees. In India, the report notes, coaching centres which operate both offline and online, generate a staggering Rs. 5,750 crore annually.

The report notes that while the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, espouses a system which provides access to quality and affordable medical education, the reality is starkly different. The report says, "If medical education is to be affordable to and accessible by all people, it will not be possible without a fair and equitable admission process and criteria and a proper fee regulation. Contrary to this, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) does not seem to help achieve the much required diversity." It agrees that students from marginalised communities are discriminated against through the NEET system, which fails to qualify as a 'standardised criterion-based test' and instead promotes rote learning. The report adds that the NEET exam is biased in favour of students from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and is more aligned to its curriculum. It disadvantages students from rural, poor or non-English medium backgrounds, including first-generation learners. 

The Committee also received opinion from general public and organisations including political parties, non-political organisations, NGOs, educationists, public authorities, and social organisations. From the 86,342 opinions it received, 65,007 opposed NEET, 18,966 supported NEET, 1,453 had no opinion, and 916 were repeated mails.

This 165-page document is divided into 13 chapters: Constitution of the Committee and Terms of Reference (Chapter I); Medical Education (Chapter II); Common Entrance Examination: Practices and Flaws (Chapter III); History of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (Chapter IV); NEET: Academic Merits and Validity (Chapter V); Impact of NEET: Stakeholders' Opinion (Chapter VI); Impact of NEET on Admission: From the Perspective of Academic, Socio-Economic and Other Demographic Status and Health Services in Tamil Nadu (Chapter VII); Constitutional Provisions Relating to Education (Chapter VIII); Recommendations (Chapter IX); Acknowledgement (Chapter X); References (Chapter XI); List of Abbreviations (Chapter XII); Annexures (Chapter XIII).