NExT exam ‘additional burden’ on medical students, dilutes states’ role: Tamil Nadu CM to PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has expressed strong reservation on the proposed step to introduce National Exit Test (NExT) as a combined national level exit examination for undergraduate (UG) medical students and entrance exam for postgraduate (NEET PG) admission. He has written a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office requesting “to continue with the existing system”.

Reiterating it opposition to National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET UG) and NExT, the chief minister said that the NEET based medical admission devised by the National Medical Commission (NMC) has already adversely impacted the “equitable, school based selection process and its contribution to strengthening of the public health system”.

In this regard, the introduction of NExT as a common exam “will surely exacerbate this trend and cause irreparable damage to the interest of rural and disadvantaged students”.

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“The introduction of the National Exit Test (NExT) will be an additional burden on our young medical students, who already have a rigorous academic load. It will force them to focus more on the theoretical part of medicine during their course and internships and is bound to hamper development of adequate clinical skills,” the letter stated.

Emphasizing that the NExT exam is neither in the interest of students or state governments, which fund most of the medical institutions, he added: “It is also an attempt to dilute the role of State Governments and Universities in the health sector and to centralize powers with the Union Government.”

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As per the new NMC rule, there will be a common counselling for admission to graduate courses in medicine for all medical institutions in India based on the NEET-UG merit list. The latest regulations, which will be effective from next academic year 2024 , also state that the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) will be publishing guidelines for the conduct of common counselling.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu state health minister M Subramanian said that he had sought an appointment to meet the Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya to seek withdrawal of the proposal of common counselling for admission to medical seats.