No plans to postpone JEE, NEET, but final decision lies with education ministry, says MHA
Education

No plans to postpone JEE, NEET, but final decision lies with education ministry, says MHA

Govt’s decision to go ahead with JEE and NEET despite there being no let-up in the Covid-19 pandemic has angered students and parents across the country.

   
Representational image for college students | Photo: PTI

Representational image of college students | Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main and the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) look unlikely to be postponed despite student protests around the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says the final decision lies with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the latter has reiterated its commitment to go ahead with the exams next month.

The JEE (Main) and the NEET (undergraduate) — meant for admissions to engineering and medical colleges, respectively — are scheduled for the first half of September. While the JEE Main is slated between 1 and 6 September, the NEET will be held 13 September.

The government’s decision to go ahead with the exams despite there being no let-up in the Covid-19 pandemic has angered students and parents across the country. While the government insists it will be employing proper precautions, opponents of the decision have cited the fact that students will have to undertake travel to appear for the exam, which they say is ill-advised at the time. 

Other objections raised include the disruptions dealt to preparations by the lockdown imposed to check Covid-19.

Speaking to ThePrint, a source in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — which has been coordinating the entire lockdown and Unlock efforts — clarified that there is no plan to postpone the exams as yet.

The ultimate decision to hold or postpone the exams will lie with the MoE, the source said.

The source reiterated this when asked about letters written to the central government by Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal) and Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) seeking a postponement of the exams. “That is something that needs to be looked into by the MoE. They will take a call.”

The National Testing Agency (NTA), the agency under the MoE that conducts the exams, has clarified twice since Friday that the exams will take place as scheduled. 

“The Supreme Court has ordered that there is absolutely no justification in the prayer made for postponement of the examination in question relating to NEET UG-2020 as well as JEE (Main) April, 2020,” the NTA said in a statement Tuesday.

“The NTA has, since then, released Admit Cards of JEE (Main) Examination. The Admit Cards of NEET (UG) 2020 will also be released shortly,” it added.  

Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has also said that they will go ahead with the exams. “A lot of parents had written to us asking when will NEET and JEE exams take place and how long can a child keep preparing for exams, which is why we decided to go ahead with exams after postponing them twice,” Pokhriyal said in an interview to DD News Tuesday, when asked whether the government plans to postpone the exams.


Also Read: Thermal screening, isolation rooms — how govt plans to hold NEET, JEE Mains amid Covid risks


‘Proper precautions taken’

The JEE is a computer-based test while the NEET (UG) is a pen- paper-based exam. The government has been saying that they have made all arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of both.

In its statement Tuesday, the NTA said it has ensured that more than 99 per cent of the candidates get their first choice of centre cities — or cities where they will take the exams.

The number of examination centres has also been increased to 660 from 570 for JEE and 3,843 from 2,546 for NEET, it added. 

“Additionally, in case of JEE (Main), the number of shifts has been increased from the earlier 8 to 12, and the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from earlier 1.32 lakh to 85,000 now,” the statement added.

For the year 2020-21, 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for JEE (Main) and 15.97 lakh for NEET (UG).

“In order to meet the social-distancing requirements, there has been a substantial increase in the number of centres. In order to ensure proper social distancing inside the examination halls, the candidates will be seated in alternate seats in case of JEE (Main). In case of NEET (UG), the number of candidates per room has been reduced from earlier 24 to 12, now,” it said.

“For ensuring social distancing outside the examination hall, the entry and exit of candidates has been staggered. Adequate arrangements have also been made outside the examination centres to enable candidates to stand with adequate social distancing, while waiting,” the statement added.

A detailed advisory has already been issued by the agency for both exam invigilators and candidates. It includes asking students to wear masks, sanitise their hands when they enter the exam hall, and maintain distance.


Also Read: SC rejects plea seeking further postponement of JEE (Main) & NEET-UG exams amid Covid spurt