Amid the nationwide anti-NEET agitation, the Progressive Youth Federation held a demonstration in front of the Coimbatore South Taluk Office, extending support to the Delhi student protests and calling for the abolition of NEET.
Coimbatore: As protests against the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) gather momentum across the country, students, youth and supporters staged a demonstration in Coimbatore on Friday, demanding the immediate abolition of the examination and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest, organised by the Progressive Youth Federation under the banner of the NEET Opposition Students and Youth Federation, was held in front of the Coimbatore South Taluk Office. Students, youth, representatives of various organisations and members of the public participated in the demonstration, raising slogans against NEET and holding placards calling for its abolition.
Several supporters carried placards expressing solidarity with the students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and condemning the alleged police action against them. Addressing the gathering, speakers alleged that the proliferation of NEET coaching centres had transformed medical entrance preparation into a profit-driven industry, placing a heavy financial burden on families while compromising the future of aspiring medical students.
The supporters further contended that Tamil Nadu had produced generations of distinguished doctors long before the introduction of NEET and argued that portraying the entrance examination as the sole benchmark for producing competent medical professionals was both misleading and exaggerated. Referring to the student suicides reported over the years in connection with the examination, they said the recurring tragedies underscored the urgent need to abolish NEET, maintaining that scrapping the test was the only lasting solution.
The demonstration comes amid a wave of anti-NEET protests being held across the country following the police action against students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In Coimbatore, the issue has triggered sustained demonstrations over the past two days, with student organisations including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and political parties such as the DMK and Congress organising separate protests condemning the alleged assault on students and reiterating their demand for the abolition of NEET.
The protest, organised by the Progressive Youth Federation under the banner of the NEET Opposition Students and Youth Federation, was held in front of the Coimbatore South Taluk Office. Students, youth, representatives of various organisations and members of the public participated in the demonstration, raising slogans against NEET and holding placards calling for its abolition.
Several supporters carried placards expressing solidarity with the students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and condemning the alleged police action against them. Addressing the gathering, speakers alleged that the proliferation of NEET coaching centres had transformed medical entrance preparation into a profit-driven industry, placing a heavy financial burden on families while compromising the future of aspiring medical students.
The supporters further contended that Tamil Nadu had produced generations of distinguished doctors long before the introduction of NEET and argued that portraying the entrance examination as the sole benchmark for producing competent medical professionals was both misleading and exaggerated. Referring to the student suicides reported over the years in connection with the examination, they said the recurring tragedies underscored the urgent need to abolish NEET, maintaining that scrapping the test was the only lasting solution.
The demonstration comes amid a wave of anti-NEET protests being held across the country following the police action against students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In Coimbatore, the issue has triggered sustained demonstrations over the past two days, with student organisations including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and political parties such as the DMK and Congress organising separate protests condemning the alleged assault on students and reiterating their demand for the abolition of NEET.