Justice A K Rajan Committee

The Justice A. K. Rajan Committee was a high-level expert panel constituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in June 2021 to study the impact of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on medical admissions in the state. The committee was chaired by Justice A. K. Rajan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, and included senior educationists, administrators, and policy experts. Its purpose was to examine whether the introduction of NEET had affected access to medical education among students from different social, economic, and educational backgrounds, and to recommend policy measures to ensure equitable opportunities.

Background and Context

NEET, a national-level entrance examination introduced in 2016, became the single gateway for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses across India. Before its introduction, Tamil Nadu admitted students to medical colleges based on Class XII board examination marks, with a normalisation system to ensure fairness across different school boards.
The state government and several stakeholders argued that NEET favoured urban, English-medium, and affluent students who could afford private coaching, while disadvantaging those from rural areas, government schools, and Tamil-medium backgrounds. In this context, the Justice A. K. Rajan Committee was formed to scientifically assess NEET’s consequences for the state’s students, particularly those belonging to socially and educationally backward classes.

Objectives and Terms of Reference

The committee was assigned the following primary objectives:

1. To study the impact of NEET-based admission on students from different social and economic groups in Tamil Nadu.
2. To analyse whether NEET has reduced the share of students from government schools, rural areas, and Tamil-medium education in medical admissions.
3. To evaluate the effect of the coaching industry on equitable access to medical education.
4. To recommend alternative mechanisms for fair and inclusive selection to medical courses, consistent with the principles of social justice.

The committee invited representations from the public, educational institutions, and civil society and received over 86,000 responses, reflecting the depth of public interest in the issue.

Major Findings

After extensive analysis of admission data, socioeconomic profiles, and education trends, the Justice A. K. Rajan Committee submitted its report in July 2021. The findings revealed significant disparities caused by the NEET system, particularly in Tamil Nadu’s context.

1. Decline in State Board Students: The committee observed that after the introduction of NEET, the share of State Board students in MBBS admissions drastically reduced, while students from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) gained a disproportionate advantage.
2. Adverse Impact on Rural and Government School Students: NEET was found to have marginalised students from rural and government schools, most of whom came from economically weaker backgrounds. The data showed that students from urban and private schools dominated medical admissions after NEET became mandatory.
3. Rise of Coaching Dependence: The committee found that NEET had increased the reliance on expensive private coaching, with many families spending large sums of money to prepare their children for the exam. This, it concluded, had made medical education financially inaccessible for poorer families.
4. Dominance of Repeaters: A growing number of students were taking NEET multiple times to secure admission, often after attending costly coaching institutions. This trend was seen as detrimental to first-generation learners and students from disadvantaged communities.
5. Impact on Social Justice: The committee emphasised that NEET had eroded the principle of social justice, which Tamil Nadu had upheld for decades through its reservation policy and admission system. It noted a fall in the representation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Most Backward Classes (MBCs), and Scheduled Castes (SCs) in medical education after the introduction of NEET.
6. Inequality Between Boards and Mediums: The analysis showed that NEET questions were largely based on the CBSE syllabus and English medium, putting Tamil-medium and state-syllabus students at a disadvantage.

Key Recommendations

The Justice A. K. Rajan Committee made a series of recommendations aimed at restoring equity and social balance in medical admissions:

1. Abolition or Exemption from NEET: The committee recommended that the Government of Tamil Nadu seek exemption from NEET for state medical admissions, as it was not a fair or equitable system for students from diverse educational and socioeconomic backgrounds.
2. Alternative Admission System: It proposed the reintroduction of a Class XII mark-based admission system, with proper normalisation procedures to account for variations in different school boards.
3. Adversity Score or Weighted System: The committee suggested developing an “adversity score” that would take into account factors such as the student’s school type, parental income, rural or urban location, and medium of instruction to ensure a level playing field.
4. Strengthening of Public Education: The committee recommended strengthening government schools and aligning the state syllabus with medical entrance requirements, reducing dependence on private coaching institutions.
5. Legislative Measures: The committee urged the state government to enact legislation to regulate or abolish the NEET requirement within Tamil Nadu’s jurisdiction, with the approval of the President of India if necessary.
6. Continuous Monitoring: The committee advised setting up a permanent monitoring mechanism to periodically review medical admissions and assess the inclusivity of students from diverse backgrounds.

Significance of the Committee’s Report

The findings of the Justice A. K. Rajan Committee are significant for multiple reasons:

• It provided empirical evidence supporting long-held concerns that NEET creates systemic disadvantages for rural and marginalised students.
• It framed the debate around NEET not only as an educational issue but also as one concerning federalism and social justice.
• It influenced the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, which sought to exempt the state from NEET for medical admissions based on the committee’s recommendations.

Criticisms and Counter-Arguments

While widely supported in Tamil Nadu, the committee’s report also faced criticism:

• Some education experts argued that a uniform national examination like NEET ensures merit and standardisation across states.
• Critics claimed that NEET enhances transparency and curbs corruption in medical admissions, which were previously prone to manipulation.
• There were concerns that exemption from NEET could isolate Tamil Nadu students from national-level opportunities.

Despite these counterpoints, the committee maintained that equality of opportunity should not mean identical treatment for all but rather fair treatment accounting for existing inequalities.

Continuing Relevance

The Justice A. K. Rajan Committee’s report continues to shape the discourse on medical admissions and social justice in India. It underscores the tension between national standardisation and state autonomy in education, as well as the ongoing debate over how best to balance meritocracy and inclusivity.