Narikuravar teen from village in Perambalur district clears NEET

S. Kokila, 19, a young woman student from the Narikurvar community, a Scheduled Tribe in Karai village, Perambalur district, has done her community proud by clearing the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year, scoring 161 out of 720 marks.

S. Kokila, 19, a young woman student from the Narikurvar community, a Scheduled Tribe in Karai village, Perambalur district, has done her community proud by clearing the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year, scoring 161 out of 720 marks.

Ms. Kokila’s success in the test has raised hopes among Narikuravar families in Karai to produce a medical graduate in this economically backward community. “I studied in Sri Ramakrishna Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Perambalur and got 459 marks (out of 600) in my class 12 board exams. Even though I knew that the NEET was going to be difficult and highly competitive, I decided to attempt it because there is no doctor in our community,” Ms. Kokila told The Hindu.

The teenager took a year’s coaching for the test at a private centre in Tiruchi in 2022 and was pleasantly surprised to receive her results. “I was very nervous about taking a year off after school to attend coaching classes. It was a difficult decision, because my father’s income is limited, and the fee came up to over ₹1 lakh inclusive of my hostel stay. But I am glad that I was able to clear the test,” Ms. Kokila said.

Ms. Kokila is the daughter of Karai R. Subramanian, president, Tamil Nadu Narikuravar Kootamaippu (TNNK), a community advocacy group. She is hoping to get admitted to an MBBS or dentistry programme under the government quota at a college near home. “If I am successful in achieving my goal, I hope more girls from our community will come forward to take up medical studies in future,” she said.