B. Sundararajan, 17, a student of Government Higher Secondary School in Chromepet, cleared the NEET in his first attempt scoring 503 marks. The topper from Chengalpattu district was felicitated by the District Educational Officer S. Kannappan on Friday.
Mr. Sundararajan said he hoped to get a seat in the Madras Medical College.
His father G. Balaji said his son prepared on his own and had opted out of a coaching centre after 10 days. “’They only tell me to study, which I can do from home,’ he told us,” said Mr. Balaji, who runs a printing press.
Mr. Kannappan said: “It is a matter of pride that he set an example and showed that a government school student can ace the NEET by sheer hard work.”
Two days after the National Testing Agency announced the results, the School Education Department is yet to provide details on the performance of government school students in the NEET.
Activists and political leaders have been saying that about 80% of government school students who took the NEET had not qualified.
According to some district officials, unlike in the past, this year non-governmental organisations were roped in for coaching the students. In some places, for want of financial support from the government, the students were left on their own, an official said.
“It is a matter of concern that over 80% of students have not qualified in the NEET. The State government should take steps to provide quality, free training for poor students to ace NEET,” said G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors’ Association for Social Equality. “Even if the government manages to get exemption from NEET it must continue to train students for competitive exams,” he said.
The government should establish residential schools in each district in the interest of aspiring students. “The students have a right to join MBBS in any college across the country under the All India Quota seats or even foreign universities. NEET is required to study in national institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jipmer, colleges under the Ministry of Ayush, foreign medical universities, deemed universities or private universities,” Dr. Ravindranath said.
“The number of students who have passed this year is lower than that of last year and this is worrisome. The government did not conduct direct training classes causing a setback. The government needs to have qualified trainers at such centres and improve the quality of government schools,” he said.
The association has called upon the National Testing Agency to conduct State-level NEET coaching that it had promised.
