Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay requested that admissions be based on Class 12 marks during a meeting with the examination reform task force.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay met with Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of the High Powered Task Force (HPTF) on Examination Reforms, at the Secretariat on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. According to reports from The Times of India and The New Indian Express, the Chief Minister reiterated the state's demand to abolish the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The state government requested that admissions for medical and other higher education courses be determined by students' performance in Class 12 examinations. The Chief Minister also expressed opposition to extending entrance tests to veterinary admissions, having previously written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding this matter.
During the meeting, the state referred to a unanimous Legislative Assembly resolution passed on August 11, 2026, which opposed NEET. The New Indian Express noted that all parties except the BJP supported the resolution, which also called for education to be returned to the State List.
The HPTF, established in August 2025, is tasked with reviewing how public exams are managed, secured, and designed, including those run by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Attendees included IIT-Madras Director V Kamakoti, former Union Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and EkStep Foundation CEO Shankar Maruwada.
Nandan Nilekani has previously suggested using artificial intelligence to generate question papers from a secure bank on the day of an exam to prevent leaks. He also advocated for a transition to a nationwide Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system.
