Chennai: National commission for allied and healthcare professions told states that NEET-UG was mandatory for admissions to physiotherapy courses, but there were no minimum qualifications or cut-off percentile.“The candidate must appear in the national eligibility entrance test (NEET) conducted by the national testing agency (NTA) for the academic year. However, there shall be no minimum qualifying marks or cut-off percentile requirement for application for admission,” it told state selection committees, directorates of medical education and universities.
The candidate must pass Class XII or equivalent with physics, chemistry and biology (or botany and zoology) with a 50% aggregate. For SC/ST/OBC and PwBD/PwD candidates, the minimum marks obtained in physics, chemistry and biology taken together shall be 40%. A pass mark in English is required for all categories.In Jan, chief minister M K Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Modi, urging the Union govt to immediately withdraw the decision mandating appearance in NEET for admission to bachelor of physiotherapy (BPT) and bachelor of occupational therapy (BOT) courses. The state has more than 50,000 seats in allied and healthcare courses, with most aspirants coming from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Compelling such students to spend on NEET coaching amounted to gross injustice, he argued in his letter.
