Madras high court rues ‘terrible rat race’ for medical, engineering seats

CHENNAI: Throughout the world, the main purpose of education is learning; but in India, it is just to secure admission in a medical or engineering college. Parents make children run a terrible rat race, the Madras high court said.

“In this madness... in high school, even the mother tongue is sacrificed to take other easier subjects. These are all practised by parents, thinking that if the child studies three subjects alone, she will come out with flying colours in the NEET examination,” D Bharatha Chakravarthy said on Tuesday. The court made the observations on a plea moved by B Shajimon, challenging the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in refusing to permit his daughter to take maths as an additional subject in Class XII.

According to the petitioner, his daughter was admitted to a private school in Class XI, opting for English, biology, physics, chemistry and maths. However, sometime during Class XII, since she decided to write NEET, instead of maths, she was made to select physical education. As his daughter didn’t get through NEET, and since taking maths can get her admission in an engineering college, she applied to take maths as an additional subject.

“The fact remains that the child studied maths throughout Class XI and up to some time in Class XII. Therefore, the law should lean in favour of correcting the other procedures towards truth. I am of the view that relief should lean in favour of permitting the student to write maths as a subject, since an additional subject is permitted,” the court said.