Bachhe 2 saal main Kota se nikal jate hain, lekin Kota bachhon se saalon ke liye nahi nikalta.
“Kids leave Kota in 2 years, Kota doesnt leave them for years to come.”
This was a quote by Jeetu Bhaiya from Kota Factory Season 1. It was also the starting point of the dissertation I pursued in my Master’s programme.
I have had an intimate relationship with entrance exams, especially those in the field of medicine, having appeared for AIPMT 2015 (twice) and NEET 2016. In total, I spent around 4 years preparing for these exams and yet, nearly 6 years since my last appearance in a medical entrance exam, the experience of that time lives within me. Some good, some bad - but still there. If you are not familiar with the NEET exam, I will explain what it is below.
For my dissertation, I looked into the psychological impact of preparing for the NEET exam after taking a drop year. The question, though, is not as simple as it seems.
See, at all times, we are governed by some systems. Some visible, some invisible. These systems (political, cultural, historical, economic, social etc) play an important role in each individual and influence the choices that one makes. So before looking into the psychological impact of the NEET exam, it is important that we understand how we even got here in the first place. This is the first of a two-part series on the Birth of NEET and its psychological impact on students.
History of NEET
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the single exam one must appear for in order to get admission into a medical programme in India. It is attended by nearly 16-17 lakh (1.6-1.7 million) students annually with the number increasing every year.
The exam was first proposed in 2013 by Ghulam Nabi Azad but that was not when the concept of competitive exams made its way into the Indian Education system. We need to go further back in time for the birth of the competitive exam.
As per Disha Niwani, a scholar from JNU, the concept of competitive exams is intricately linked with a greater institutionalization and centralization of educational facilities.
Under British rule, secondary education (9-12th grade) was under the ambit of Universities. In order to be eligible for university admission, a student needed a special certificate, the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) which would be awarded on the basis of a student’s performance in a separate examination.
This SSLC exam was the first prototype of a competitive exam in India.
In newly independent India, medical education was mostly laissez-faire. Each university could have its own standards of selection of students. Some selected students based on their academic records, and others used to conduct their own pre-medical entrance examination.
The situation was diametrically opposite to what it is today.
This changed when, in 1974, pre-medical examinations were made mandatory for admission into medical colleges. This was done as a means to level the playing field and ensure no state could get more students admitted by inflating their scores. (Eery similarity to the CUCET exam today)
A few years later, the Supreme Court adjudged that there should be a central exam as well which would offer 15% seats in any government college across the country. This exam was known as All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and continued until 2013 when NEET was first introduced. When AIPMT was around, each state could have its own pre-medical entrance test too, depending on its own curriculum and standards.
Today, there is only one exam that students must appear in, for admission to all medical colleges. NEET has thus been criticized for challenging the federal structure of education and being biased towards the rich and educated.
Today NEET is conducted by a central authority, the National Testing Agency. The admission process today is a different world than it used to be. Is the change for better or worse? We may never have a definitive answer.
The Sociology of NEET
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin termed the NEET exam a form of ‘knowledge untouchability of the 21st century”. He argued that the exam favoured those who were educated in the central board, spoke English and belonged to urban areas.
His argument has quite a lot of merit.
Today, preparation for the NEET exam does not simply include learning from the formal education system. No. You must be enrolled in a coaching centre or multiple tuitions to have any chance of clearing the exam.
This education system, which runs parallel to the formal system but doesn’t have any regulations is called the shadow education system. It is a multi-billion industry in India today. Kota Factory, the show from earlier, is an insight into life in this industry.
The shadow education system has a lot of stratification and is linked with the economic status of its students. A student has many options. Some cheap, low-quality tuition centres and other high-end ‘universities’ (in their own sense) that cost a hefty amount.
The more money you have, the more likely you are to get into the best coaching centres and the better your chances are to do well in NEET.
This has been documented empirically by the work of many sociologists and education researchers. Not just that, the shadow education system also discriminates amongst its students based on their test performances.
High-performers are grouped into one class and given the best teachers, extra doubt-solving sessions and individual guidance while those that are left behind must make do with the leftover time teachers have. Both kinds of students pay the same fees though.
Caste is another social determinant of who gets to be a part of the shadow education system. People from the SC/ST communities are often left to governmental educational facilities for their preparation while their competitors get private education and coaching as well.
The shadow education system is ultimately oriented purely toward results and not fairness or equality. It must be no surprise that such a cut-throat industry exerts inhumane levels of pressure on students who are barely 16-18 years old.
Simply preparing for the NEET exam has a psychological cost on young children. Taking a gap year to prepare for a second time only exacerbates these costs.
In the next part of the series, I will discuss the individual impact that being a part of this examination industry has on the students and how they cope with it.
And that is it for this week! This dissertation took a lot of effort and I am really glad to share some of my learnings with all of you. What do you think about the NEET Exam? Did you ever prepare for it? Faced discrimination? Whatever your thoughts are, let me know in the comments or by replying to this email!
Until next time,
Arjun
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Real picture of the system where kids are the sufferers and gainers at the same time
Really glad you brought the shadow education system ! The movie Super 30 is a great example of this :)) Looking forward to part 2