JOIN USNEET-related coaching centres’ business in Tamil Nadu is Rs 5,750 crore: Report
Contending that National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) seeks to replace “learning with coaching”, a high-level committee appointed by the Tamil Nadu government has come down heavily on NEET-specific coaching centres and has estimated their business in the state to be around Rs 5,750 crore.
The committee headed by Justice (retired) A K Rajan said it appears that NEET can be cleared only with additional coaching and noted that coaching centres have mushroomed in cities “charging exorbitant fees” coaching.
“NEET Coaching is a business overall flourishing across the country. The economics of NEET coaching classes is staggering, with the cost to a student in a popular Centre in Rajasthan, for example, amounting to at least Rs 5 lakh for higher secondary education and entrance coaching classes,” the panel said, adding that it is evident that competitive exams in India revolve around the coaching class ecosystem grown around JEE and NEET.
The panel said 99 per cent of students who appeared for the exam had received prior training before appearing for NEET with most of them being repeaters. It added that many are being coached for the exam from Class 8.
The report, on whose basis the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a “legally sound” legislation seeking exemption from NEET for students from the state, said rural students studying in government schools hailing from economically weaker sections find it difficult to join coaching centres as they cannot afford.
“Collectively, the total business of 400 plus coaching firms in Tamil Nadu is approximately Rs. 5,750 crores, exclusively incurred on NEET. The actual figure would be higher than this if a detailed investigation is made on this issue,” the panel said.
In an important observation, the Justice Rajan committee said that the actual fee (excluding the capitation or “illegal surcharges” levied by the private colleges) paid by the medical students for their studies would be much less than the money spent on coaching.
“This trend shows the financial muscle power of the affluent segment that succeeded in getting medical seats after the invention of NEET. More than 95 per cent of the TNSBSE students cannot afford to go for coaching,” the panel said.
Prince Gajendrababu, education activist and general secretary of State Platform for Common School System (SPCSS –Tamil Nadu), told DH that the committee report has established “with proof” that NEET is a “commercial venture”.
“This is what we have been saying ever since NEET came into being. NEET wants to replace classroom learning with coaching centres. Coaching centres fix their fees according to the infrastructure they have and their location. It is a known fact students from rural areas cannot afford such coaching. This puts them at a disadvantageous position,” he added.