‘We Oppose National Exit Test For MBBS Students’, Says Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin In Letter To PM Modi

Chief Minister MK Stalin has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the introduction of the proposed National Exit Test (NEXT) which would act as the final exam for MBBS students as well as the entrance exam for Post Graduate courses in medicine.

At present, for admissions to Post Graduate courses, students have to clear the NEET-PG exam. It is also expected to replace the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE).

Drawing parallels to NEET (which is the entrance exam for MBBS courses) Stalin wrote, “The Government of Tamil Nadu has been consistent in its opposition to the introduction of NEET and NEXT in any form for both undergraduate and postgraduate medical admissions.

"The NEET based medical admission system under the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act has already adversely impacted the equitable, school education based selection process and its contribution to the strengthening of the public health system.

"At this juncture, the proposed introduction of NEXT will surely exacerbate this trend and cause an irreparable damage to the interest of rural and socially disadvantaged students and the public institutions under State Governments.”

Further, he said that even now the students are awarded the MBBS degree only after rigorous training and examination and so the test while hampering clinical learning would also turn out to be an additional burden for students.

“In all the states of our country, the curriculum for medical education is already being devised under the norms fixed by the NMC. The curricula, training and examination system are monitored vigilantly by the respective State Medical Universities. The students are awarded MBBS degree in recognized colleges, only after such rigorous training and examinations.

"In this situation, the introduction of such a common exit test will definitely be an additional burden on the students. Given the high academic burden and stress faced by our medical students this needs to be strictly avoided.

“In addition, the introduction of such a course as a mandatory exit test will also hamper the clinical learning, which is vital for MBBS graduates. Today, young graduates focus both on the theoretical and clinical aspects of medical science and only after graduation, the students who opt for PG admissions focus on theoretical PG exams. But the introduction of mandatory exit exam will force them to focus more on the theoretical part of medicine during their course and internships. This is bound to hamper development of adequate clinical skills.”

He ended his letter saying that the exam is “another attempt to dilute the role of State Governments and Universities in the health sector and to centralise the powers with the Union Government.”

This comes after the state’s Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the government opposes the proposed common counselling for medical counselling. He said that he would seek an appointment with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to discuss the matter.

Proponents of the test say that it would provide a standardised evaluation of the knowledge and competence of medical graduates from all over the country.