Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to introduce a separate entrance examination or use NEET scores for admissions to Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH) courses. Instead, admissions should be made based on Class XII marks or criteria decided by state govts, he said.In a letter to Modi, Vijay opposed a common entrance examination. “I would be grateful if the Veterinary Council of India could be advised to review its decision and permit admissions to the BVSc & AH degree programme to continue on the basis of higher secondary examination marks, or such admission criteria as may be determined by the respective state govts,” Vijay said.The letter comes in the wake of Veterinary Council of India proposing a common entrance examination for BVSc & AH admissions or, alternatively, the use of NEET (UG)-2026 merit list from the 2026-27 academic year onwards. He said the proposal raised serious concerns for Tamil Nadu as veterinary education was closely linked to the state’s rural economy, livestock sector and dairy development.The chief minister said Tamil Nadu had followed admissions to professional courses based on higher secondary examination marks for decades and abolished the common entrance examination for professional courses from the 2007-08 academic year. He argued that the existing system had ensured social justice and provided equitable access to students from rural areas, govt schools and disadvantaged sections.Vijay reiterated the state’s opposition to NEET, saying centralised entrance examinations favoured students with access to coaching and financial resources rather than reflecting school-level merit. He cited past issues in the conduct of NEET and said states should be allowed to determine admission criteria in line with their socio-economic realities while upholding academic standards.
