Chennai, Nov 4:
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday strongly reiterated its steadfast opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and similar centralised common entrance examinations for higher education admissions, insisting that Class 12 board examination marks should serve as the sole criterion for admissions to professional and undergraduate courses.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay conveyed the state’s official position during a high-level consultative meeting at the Secretariat with the Chairman of the High-Level Task Force on Examination Reforms, Nandan Nilekani, along with panel members Prof. V. Kamakoti, Anita Karwal, and Sankar Maruvada. Highlighting the resolution unanimously adopted by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on August 11, 2026, the Chief Minister affirmed the state government’s firm policy stance, recommending the complete abolition of NEET and analogous entrance evaluations for admissions into medical and other advanced degree programmes.
Minister for School Education, Tamil Growth, Information and Publicity Rajmohan, Chief Secretary Dr. M. Saikumar, IAS, and senior government officials were present during the deliberations. The state administration underscored that entrance tests place rural and underprivileged students at an acute disadvantage, reiterating that normalising school-level evaluation maintains equity, social justice, and federal autonomy in higher education.