Congress manifesto promises to make NEET, CUET exams optional
Congress has announced that it will make the centrally-conducted qualifying examinations such as NEET, CUET as optional, if elected to power. The Congress announced this in its manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2024.
«We will ensure that all higher educational institutions — central, state and private — meet the prescribed standards for admitting students. We will revisit the policy of centrally-conducted qualifying examinations such as NEET, CUET, etc.
and make it optional for state governments to adopt these examinations for admissions or conduct their own examinations meeting the prescribed standards to state-funded and state-approved higher educational institutions,» the Congress said in the manifesto.
Some states, specially Tamil Nadu, have raised concerns about exams like NEET. The Tamil Nadu government has contended that the NEET exam undermines the principles of federalism by diminishing the states' authority to admit students to medical colleges.
NEET's syllabus, based on the Central Board of Secondary Education, differs from Tamil Nadu's state board curriculum, fueling objections from the state.
Tamil Nadu opposes NEET, asserting that a universal entrance exam disadvantages students from state boards.
In September 2021, Tamil Nadu also passed a Bill to exempt its students from NEET, advocating for medical course admissions based on Class 12 exam results. However, Governor RN Ravi returned the Bill, citing concerns about its impact on rural and economically disadvantaged students, prompting reconsideration.
