Tamil Nadu CM Opposes CET NEET for BDS MDS State Government already opposed MBBS MD MS Common Entrance Test

Tamil Nadu CM Opposes CET NEET for BDS MDS. State Government has

already opposed MBBS MD MS Common Entrance Test
From http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3871798.ece

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has opposed the Dental Council of India proposal for a National Eligibility Entrance Test for BDS and MDS courses, citing the same grounds of exclusion of the rural poor that founded her earlier objection to a similar test for MBBS and PG medical courses.

Referring to a recent gazette notification in this regard by the Council, the Chief Minister, in a letter to the Prime Minister stated: “In this context, I would like to record my strong objection to the introduction of these tests for the same reasons for which I had already objected to the introduction of a National Eligibility Test for entrance to undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses in earlier letter to you dated July 30, 2012.

“I request that Tamil Nadu may be exempted from the test and allowed to continue with its existing system for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate dental seats.”Ms. Jayalalithaa pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Government had taken several steps since 2005 and eventually abolished the entrance examination for professional courses from 2007-08.

This was done after an expert committee found that such common entrance examinations put rural students and candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds at a disadvantage owing to the lack of geographical and financial access to requisite training institutions and materials.

Referring to her earlier letter, Ms. Jayalalithaa said she had pointed out that such entrance examinations resulted in the growth of expensive coaching centres, which charged high fees beyond the reach of poorer students.

The need for such coaching classes would be specifically felt in the case of a national-level examination as the students who passed Standard XII based on State syllabi would not face a level playing field as the topics covered for the entrance examination were likely to be based on the NCERT/CBSE curriculum and syllabi.

Pointing out that Tamil Nadu had been following 69 per cent reservation for Backward and Most Backward Communities and SC/STs in professional courses as part of a social justice policy, she said the “introduction of a National Eligibility Entrance Test will create confusion and litigation in the smooth implementation of this reservation policy both in undergraduate and postgraduate admissions.”