Government rules out postponement of JEE, NEET exams

Despite the continuous social media outrage and pressure by the students across the country on the Central government, the Education Ministry on Friday confirmed that JEE (Main)/NEET 2020 exams will not be postponed in any condition.

Students have been arguing that conducting exams in September when the Coronavirus cases are on a continuous rise across the country, is irresponsible on part of the government. Earlier in the day, there were speculations that exams could be postponed and a final decision could be made after August 25, that gave the students a sliver of hope.

After the confirmation by the Education Ministry, students have unanimously condemned the decision, and expressed disappointment, saying that the government is playing with the lives of the students and their families. Wasil Mohammed, a NEET aspirant from Hyderabad said, "We have seen in the recent past where conducting various exams in different states during COVID has turned out to be horrible, with several students testing positive after appearing for exams.There should be no hurry to conduct the exams when college admissions will anyway be delayed."

The government had earlier released SOP guidelines to be followed by exam centres during and before the exams, however students believe it will not serve the purpose. Ummal, a JEE aspirant says, "The pressure and nervousness among students will be so high that we can't expect everyone to follow the SOPs. They don't guarantee everyone's safety. Moreover, even if youngsters are more immune to the virus, who will guarantee the safety of our old parents and grandparents if we carry the virus back home after the exam?"

Students also pointed out that during the times of pandemic, transportation is another big challenge, with many students being allotted centres far away. To add to the woes, Bihar and Assam are fighting floods too. With all these students fear they would not be able to reach the exam centre. The National Testing Agency has however assured the Supreme Court that it will make sure that the exams are conducted with all the precautions.