Christy had secured an amazing 1,176 out of 1,200 in her state board exams
Class 12 student Christy had secured an amazing 1,176 out of 1,200 in her state board exams, but her dream of becoming a doctor now is under doubt. Like Anitha, whose suicide earlier this month sparked protests across the country, Christy could not qualify for the NEET.
Earlier this month, 17-year-old Anitha, the daughter of a daily wage earner, committed suicide allegedly after she failed to get a medical seat. The death of Anitha sparked protests against the national entrance exam for medical colleges in Tamil Nadu. Anitha had scored excellent marks in her Class 12 exams and would have easily got into a medical college of her choice under the previous system. But with the NEET coming into force, many like Anitha find their dreams unfulfilled despite securing good marks in state exams.
"Only those from CBSE or those who went for coaching taking a break for a year get government seat. There is no seat for those who studied in a government school and in Tamil medium," said Christy, a native of Ittamozhi village in Tirunelvelli district.
Her financial position does not allow her the luxury to afford private coaching. Her father is a part time driver and her mother rolls beedis for a living, helping the family earn Rs 6,000 every month.
"Coaching fees alone works out to one lakh rupees and a bus fare would add to Rs 3,000 a month. We can't afford private coaching," said Christy's mother Viji Jagdish.
Also the severe shortage of coaching opportunities in rural areas also makes much of the difference between success and failure.
The issue has also found support from academicians. "If you think you ought to have an entrance exam to qualify for medicine, then why can't you have an entrance exam based on Tamil Nadu syllabus when different states still had different question papers," said Emily Titus, Principal, St Ebbas Matriculation and Higher Secondary School.
Advocates of NEET argue that the process helps identify right candidates to become doctors.
The state government has reportedly started working on improving the curriculum. But the big question is how fair is to have a common entrance exam when there's no common syllabus across the country in the first place.