SFI holds protest in Madurai demanding NEET abolition on Anitha’s 9th death anniversary

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SFI members staging a protest in Madurai on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK

Members of Student’s Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest here on Monday marking the ninth death anniversary of S. Anitha, a student who aspired to study medicine and ended her life in 2017, after she failed to secure an MBBS seat due to admissions being based on the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) and not on class 12 results.

SFI State president Mrudula, who led the protest, said, “Protests against NEET continue to take place across Tamil Nadu. Despite various differences of opinion among political parties in the State, Tamil Nadu speaks in a single voice that NEET is not needed. Therefore, the Union government must take steps to exempt Tamil Nadu from the NEET exam.”

The NEET exam does not merely assess students’ capabilities. It had been transformed into an exam dependent on coaching centres, she added.

Students in urban areas with financial means are able to pay high fees and receive training. However, students from rural, hilly, and poor families do not get this opportunity. This creates inequality in education, she noted.

“In addition to NEET, various entrance exams continue to be introduced for admission into higher education. Through exams like CUET, JEE, CLAT, GATE, and NET, various eligibility tests have been created just to gain admission into educational institutions. Instead of expanding opportunities to acquire education, a situation has been created where students are filtered out through exams and driven away from education,” Ms. Mridula stated.

Further various disruptions, including question paper leaks, continue to occur around entrance exams, she recalled.

Transparency and security must be ensured in the functioning of exam-conducting bodies. Instead of punishing students who write the exams for these mistakes, strict action must be taken against those responsible for the disruptions, she demanded.

“Education is the greatest weapon capable of changing the lives of ordinary people.”

Therefore, the Union and State governments must increase financial allocation for education. Basic facilities in government schools, colleges, and hostels must be improved, she said.

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