S. Vishnu Sharma
NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 have now become a talk of the town with debate over the conducting the exam growing stronger.
While NEET UG 2020 is supposed to be conducted 13 September, JEE Mains 2020 is to be held from 1 to 6 September.
NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020
Though the central government has refused to delay the exam date of NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 and National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts these two popular exams has also confirmed it, the debate over conducting the exam refuses to subside.
Even as the debate over conducting NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 continues, over 17 lakh candidates are said to have downloaded hall-tickets for the exams.
As far as official sources are concerned, About 9,94,198 students have downloaded hall-tickets for NEET UG 2020, the same for JEE Mains stands at 7,49,408.
Again on Thursday (27 August), Union Education Ministry sources said there will be no rethink on the dates for conducting NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the decision to conduct the exams in September was taken after encountering good deal of pressure from parents and students.
He said over 17 lakh candidates have downloaded the hall-tickets and this shows that students want the exams to be conducted.
We have received mails from students who are in favour of conducting the exams as they have been preparing for the exams for the last two to three years.
Apply Now For – DR. MGR University Admission in Chennai Tamil Nadu
The supreme court also dismissed a plea filed demanding the postponement of NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020. However, things still refuse to be on the side of the decision to conduct exams in September.
Conflict being witnessed currently between the groups who want NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 to be conducted and not to be conducted has its reasons more than four months ago.
It was during the end of March this year that nation underwent a lockdown to regulate the spread of corona virus.
While everyone thought that lockdown will continue for a short period and then end, it got extended for more than three months.
This did not leave any room for conducting the exams. Both education and employment related exams got postponed.
NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 were not an exception. Dates were declared lateron, but that did not get an acceptance from many as the situation is still considered to be not safe for conducting the exam.
Many still feel, chances for contracting infection may be still high if exams are conducted at this juncture. It is amidst this clash that IIT Delhi director V. Ramgopal Rao opined postponement of NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 could have serious repurcussions.
There will not only be repurcussions on academic calendar of engineering and medical colleges but also on career of many bright students.
He said students must trust the institutions, strictly follow safety guidelines and then take the entrance tests.
There is no dearth of educationists who take this view. T. Janardhanan, a retired class 12 teacher and NEET coach citing the example of Kerala he said, when the state government could conduct successfully 12th, 10th and entrance exams for engineering and medicine, there is no reason why NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 cannot be conducted, he said.
However, Punjab Congress Chief took a different view. Congress Chief Sunil Jakhar said the government at the centre was playing with the lives of the innocent students by being adamant on conducting NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020.
What adds more to the speculation is the decision made by Chief Ministers of opposition parties at a virtual meeting organised by Sonia Gandhi.
Sources say, Chief Ministers of opposition parties have decided to move the nation’s top court seeking postponement of NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020.
Apart from this, certain sections in various states of this country are also heard to have been seeking postponement of NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020.
The flood like situation prevailing in certain states coupled with lack of access to transport system may make reaching exam centres late, owing to factors like these, postponement is being sought.
While only time can tell as to what will happen with regards to NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020, one can pray for the situation to improve so that students who are working hard do not fall into problems.