THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-July 15, 2017- Topic 1

Unsurprising verdict

On TN's quota for medical students

The Madras High Court verdict striking down the Tamil Nadu government order that had earmarked 85% of seats in undergraduate medical and dental courses for students from the State Board is no surprise at all. Once it was laid down by law as well as by the Supreme Court that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test will be the sole basis for admission to medical courses, it was unlikely that any court would have allowed a classification of students based on the stream through which they passed their higher secondary examinations. 

Tamil Nadu had abolished entrance tests in 2006, and since then has been admitting students based on their marks in the qualifying school examination. The only way out for the State was to get its legislation for an exemption from NEET approved by the President. In the absence of presidential assent for its Bills, it was forced to bring in reservation for State Board students through an executive order, but could not defend it in court. The State government will have to shoulder the blame for the confusion over its admission policy this year, as well as the tension it has caused to students. It ought not to have given the impression to students that presidential assent to its Bills was imminent and that NEET would not be the basis for admission this year. Last year it managed to convince the Centre to amend the law for a one-time exemption for undergraduate courses, but it did not utilise the time to prepare students to master the demanding NEET syllabus.

However, the fact that the State government failed to upgrade its educational standards does not mean Tamil Nadu’s apprehensions about NEET do not merit consideration. The fear that NEET would be insurmountable for students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds and those who cannot afford coaching centres is real. So too is the concern that the government may not get committed doctors to serve in rural areas if most of the seats are cornered by CBSE students. According to the government, if a NEET-based merit list is drawn up, 72% of medical seats in government colleges and government quota seats in private colleges would go to CBSE school students. Tamil Nadu is able to run its network of hospitals efficiently mainly because of a recruitment policy that gives weightage to service candidates in post-graduate medical admissions. NEET may be an answer to rampant commercialisation of medical education, but it should not be at the cost of the government’s socio-economic goals. In a country with regional, economic and linguistic disparities, uniformity is no virtue, especially when it is thrust on unwilling States. The political leadership at the Centre as well as in the States would do well to work together to evolve a flexible admission policy that gives some leeway to the States and meets the triple goals of fairness, transparency and freedom from exploitation in admissions.

Vocabulary

Earmark: a characteristic or identifying feature.

Example: This car has all the earmarks of a classic

Synonyms: characteristics, attribute, feature, hallmark

Sole: one and only.

Example: My sole aim was to contribute to the national team

Synonyms: only, one and only, single, solitary

Abolished: formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution.

Example: The tax was abolished in 1977

Synonyms: put an end to, get rid of, scrap, end, stop, terminate

Absence: the state of being away from a place or person.

Example: The letter had arrived during his absence

Synonyms: nonattendance, nonappearance, absenteeism, truancy

Imminent: about to happen.

Example: They were in imminent danger of being swept away

Synonyms: impending, close at hand, near, fast approaching

Upgrade: raise something to a higher standard, in particular improve equipment or machinery by adding or replacing components.

Example: The cost of upgrading each workstation is around $300

Synonyms: improve, modernize, update, bring up to date, make better

Insurmountable: too great to be overcome.

Example: An insurmountable problem

Synonyms: insuperable, unconquerable, invincible, unassailable

Virtue: behavior showing high moral standards.

Example: Paragons of virtue

Synonyms: goodness, virtuousness, righteousness, morality

Fairness: impartial and just treatment or behaviour without favouritism or discrimination.

Example: Part of my role is to ensure fairness to all parties

Transparency: the condition of being transparent.

Example: The transparency of ice

Synonyms: translucency, limpidity, clearness, clarity; openness

Exploitation: the action of making use of and benefiting from resources.

Example: The Bronze Age saw exploitation of gold deposits

Synonyms: utilization, use, making use of, making the most of