Tamil Nadu urges govt to restore Class 12-based medical admissions

The Tamil Nadu government on Aug 5 renewed its demand for scrapping NEET-based medical admissions, urging the center to restore admissions to undergraduate medical courses based on Class 12 public examination marks.

Presenting the TVK government's first Budget in the Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Finance Minister Dr N Marie Wilson said the state continues to advocate a return to the pre-NEET admission system, under which medical seats were allotted on the basis of Class 12 scores.

The demand reflects Tamil Nadu's long-standing opposition to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and its continued push for an alternative admission mechanism for medical education.

The state government also announced a major increase in education spending, allocating ₹44,527 crore to the School Education Department for the 2026-27 financial year.

Among the key initiatives announced in the Budget is the launch of the 'Vetri Laptop Scheme' for college students. The government also said a Special Law College will be established in Madurai from the 2027-28 academic year.

The Higher Education Department has been allocated ₹8,393 crore in the Budget.

In another announcement, the government proposed setting up five new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the state at an estimated cost of ₹90 crore to strengthen vocational education and skill development.

The Budget also outlines measures to improve technology integration in education, upgrade school infrastructure and enhance learning opportunities for students through higher investments in the education sector.

The renewed call for Class 12 marks-based medical admissions comes as the Tamil Nadu government continues to press the center for changes to the existing NEET-based admission system.