Chennai: Several government school students who gained admission to medical colleges under the 7.5 per cent reservation quota have credited the NEET examination for enabling them to pursue medicine, a dream once considered out of reach.

Before NEET was introduced, fewer than 20 students from government schools in Tamil Nadu entered medical colleges annually, while over 99 per cent of seats were taken by private school students. However, after NEET was enforced, concerns arose over further marginalisation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

To address this, the then AIADMK government introduced a 7.5 per cent reservation in 2020 for students who studied in government schools from Class 6 to Class 12. That year, 435 students joined medical colleges under the quota, with the government covering all academic expenses including tuition, books, and accommodation.

As of now, 2,818 government school students are pursuing medical education under this quota, with many hailing from families of daily wage labourers, tea vendors, and auto drivers.

The first batch of quota beneficiaries, who joined in 2020, have completed their four-and-a-half-year academic training and are currently undergoing internship. They are expected to graduate as doctors by next year.

"I wouldn't have become a doctor without NEET and the 7.5% quota," said Narasimhan, a final-year MBBS student from Chennai Medical College, whose father is an auto driver.

Another student, Jeevithkumar from Theni, who secured the top rank under the quota in 2020, urged the government to improve NEET coaching in government schools. “With better coaching, students like me could compete in the general quota too,” he said.

Officials from the Directorate of Medical Education said the quota, initially introduced through an emergency law, is being implemented irrespective of the ruling party and has since been extended to engineering, law, veterinary, AYUSH, and agriculture courses.