NEET takers in Tamil Nadu to get calls from counsellors

CHENNAI A total of 1,42,286 students, who had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Tes

A total of 1,42,286 students, who had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Tamil Nadu, will receive calls from counsellors through the State Health Department’s helpline 104.

Launching the initiative at the 104 call centre on Monday, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said that counsellors would talk to the students and their parents. “On Sunday, a total of 1,42,286 students appeared for NEET in the State. Compared to previous years, more students have appeared for NEET this year. In 2020, 1,17,000 students took the test, while last year, 1,10,971 students appeared for the test,” he told reporters.

Of the 1,42,286 students, 17,567 were from government and government-aided schools. The list of students had been obtained. The counsellors would contact the students and their parents through phone to ensure their mental well-being and provide assistance/support, he said.

“Last year, similar counselling was provided two to three times for the 1.10 lakh students who had appeared for NEET. This helped in their mental well-being,” he said. He noted that last year, 555 students had obtained admission to medical and dental courses under the 7.5% horizontal reservation.

“The State government is taking measures to get exemption from NEET. The anti-NEET Bill is waiting for further action at the office of the President and Union Ministry of Home Affairs,” he said.

Health Secretary P. SenthilKumar, Mission Director of National Health Mission - Tamil Nadu Shilpa Prabhakar, Project Director of Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme S. Uma, Director of Medical Education R. Narayana Babu and Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam were present at the meet.