Almost six months into the new academic year and three months after the recent NEET, the government of Tamil Nadu is yet to begin its coaching classes for government school students in the state.
According to reports, the orientation programme for students was conducted in Chennai, Erode and Coimbatore recently, but the classes are yet to commence since the department is awaiting a nod from KA Sengottaiyan, the Minister for School Education. The state government has also reportedly scheduled training for 320 government school teachers during the upcoming weekend and will be taking NEET coaching classes for the students after their training.
The state government started NEET coaching in 2017 and for NEET 2020, 50 students have been selected from each centre across the state through a selection process in August. These students will be provided free NEET coaching by the state government over the weekends. The best performers from these students will be chosen to undergo an intensive residential training session after their board exams in March. Last year, any student who wished to attend the coaching classes during weekends could attend them, unlike the current year.
The state provides free NEET coaching in tie-up with Speed Medical Institute which arranges video lectures in one school in every administrative block in the state. The coaching sessions are designed to be offered during weekends, public holidays and school vacations so that it does not disturb the regular curriculum of the students.
In 2018-2019, 2,597 students in Tamil Nadu were selected for the intensive training session. These students were provided with books and free laptops to enable them to prepare for NEET. Of the 2,597 students who attended the residential training session last year, 642 students cleared the NEET 2019.
As per a report in The Hindu, 17,630 students from Tamil Nadu’s government and government-aided schools appeared for NEET 2019.