‘Don’t want my children to feel intellectually disabled’: TN Governor on why he’ll ‘never’ clear NEET exemption Bill

In an impassioned debate with the Governor, father of a NEET rank-holder Ammassiyappan Ramaswamy said “clearing NEET is all about spending on coaching centres”.

Governor RN Ravi attended the event at Bharatiyar Hall to felicitate Tamil Nadu's NEET rank-holders. (Twitter/ @rajbhavan_tn)

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During an event to felicitate Tamil Nadu’s NEET rank-holders, Governor R N Ravi told a parent of one of the rank-holders that he would “never, ever” clear the state government’s Bill seeking to exempt the state from the ambit of the centralised medical entrance exam.

“I will be the last man to give clearance [to the NEET exemption Bill], never ever! I do not want my children to feel intellectually disabled,” Ravi told Ammassiyappan Ramaswamy, the father of a NEET rank-holder, who urged the Governor to clear the Bill.

In an impassioned debate with the Governor, Ramaswamy said “clearing NEET is all about spending on coaching centres”. He said his daughter did well in NEET only after extensive coaching, and said that parents faced many hardships and major expenses to send their children to coaching centres with the hope of clearing the entrance exam.

“You said our standards are very high and our medical system is very good. But all of these were achieved without NEET,” the parent told Ravi on the sidelines of the event held at Raj Bhavan on Saturday.

Ravi, however, said: “What we have achieved without NEET is no longer sufficient. Sit down.”

Ramaswamy, who said he works at the Salem Steel Plant, continued the debate, pointing out that his arguments were based on his family’s experience of spending Rs 4 lakh annually for coaching for the last four years.

“Should a student study this hard to clear a NEET exam? One student said he studied 15 hours. Plus-two students are still like children. They need time to play, too. These children should study 15 hours to clear an exam besides their final school exam?” he asked.

Unyielding, Governor Ravi repeated his answer: “I am saying this very proudly, I will never give clearance to NEET [exemption Bill]. It is very clear.”

The exchange between Ravi and Ramaswamy continued until Raj Bhavan staff were seen asking the parent to return the microphone he was using to ask the questions.

During the interaction, Ramaswamy also said: “Look, I am not saying NEET is impossible. I have spent money for my studious daughter’s NEET coaching, and that helped her clear it and ensured her medicine admission… [But] If a student who got 545 marks in plus-two cannot clear NEET without coaching, it is devastating. My daughter was able to clear NEET not because she was a good student, but because of my capacity as a parent to spend a lot on her coaching. What about parents who cannot afford that? There are students who clear NEET without coaching, but how many?”