In the wake of the announcement by Union Health Ministry that a National Exit Test (NExT) would be held from 2024, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterating Tamil Nadu’s opposition to this, and further requested that the NExT not be introduced and the existing system be allowed to continue.
The introduction of NExT was “neither in the interest of the students nor in the interest of State governments who fund most of the medical institutions,” Mr. Stalin said and contended that the step seemed to be “just another attempt to dilute the role of State governments and universities in the health sector and to centralise the powers with the Union government.” A copy of the letter was shared with the media.
NExT would be a single examination that would replace final-year MBBS examinations and the National Eligibility Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET - PG) entrance exam, thus acting as a qualifying test for granting registration to doctors. It would also function as the basis for postgraduate seat allocation.
