Despite strong protests from Six Ministers of opposition ruled states, the Supreme Court of India has rejected all pleas to delay the JEE and NEET 2020 Examinations anymore. The examinations are going to be held in September 2020.
Adequate safety measures and precautions have been ensured at all exam centers to conduct a safe and sound environment. However, with prolonging student protests and political protests, there seems to be enough reason for the candidates to worry about further delays.
Key Highlights:
● The JEE examination is going to be held between 1st September and 6th September 2020.
● NEET is going to start on 13 September 2020.
● Students protests as political protests continue to interfere, demanding the exams to be delayed
On Friday, 28 August 2020, 6 Ministers from 6 different opposition-ruled states pleaded the Supreme Court of India to dismiss the order of allowing JEE and NEET 2020 Exams to be held in September 2020, and to delay it further. Moloy Ghatak, Cabinet Minister of Labour and Law Government of West Bengal (Trinamool Congress); B.S Sidhu, Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Labour in Punjab Government (Indian National Congress); Uday Ravindra Sawant, Guardian Minister of Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra (Shiv Sena); Amarjeet Bhagat, Minister of Food, Civil supplies, Culture, Planning, Economics & Statistics, Chhatisgarh (Indian National Congress); Rameshwar Oraon, Finance Minister of Jharkhand (Indian National Congress); Raghu Sharma, Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Rajasthan (Indian National Congress) were all a part of this.
The main reason that the Ministers are demanding the postponement of the examination is for the safety of the candidates, as well as all those who come in contact with them. According to the ministers it is for the largest interest of the common mass .
But as India undergoes the Unlock 4 phase, with the gymnasiums and restaurants opening up for the sake of reviving the economy, is it really necessary to ask for the examinations to delay, and take away precious time from the students’ life, and thus delay the development of their career as well?
Let’s Delve Deeper into How the Delay in Examination Will Affect Students And Their Future :
This is pivotal, especially at this moment, when Doctors and Engineers are the most needed professionals in the world. We cannot hold something as important as JEE and NEET and pretend that just like homeschooling for primary students, this can not impact too much on the student’s future.
● Over 2 million candidates appear for the JEE and NEET exams. Seats are limited and competition is fierce. If the exams are further delayed from September, it could raise the competition, as, by next year, there will be double the number of students competing for the same number of seats as now.
● There could be an increased financial burden for families of the students
● Students work immensely hard to prepare for the examinations and with all that gone to waste, and the raised competition next year, it can cause serious psychological impact.
● Both On-Campus and Off-Campus jobs will feature the same amount of competition as in the exams
● Many students are at the last upper age to appear for the exams. Next year, they will lose their last chance to appear for the exams ever.
● Not every family or student can move on, and afford private engineering colleges, moreover, the crowd and competitivity even in private colleges will raise manifold with the entry of the new batch.
This is high time for the students to appear for the examination. Further delay can mean crucial to many.
Why Are Students Supporting the Postponing of the Examination
Support for the idea of postponing the JEE and NEET examinations has been expressed by several students, showing that they don’t have adequate facilities to drive to the examination centers. In districts like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, there can be alleviated troubles regarding public transportation. Not everybody can have their way with Uber and Ola if public buses or autorickshaws are not available.
Meanwhile, as even a phone call cannot be made without listening to the COVID-19 message of not getting out of the house, many parents and family members are concerned about the health and safety of their children.
The pandemic is growing no doubt and as of now staying indoors is the most functional resort to control further spreading of the virus.
What Looks Like A Political Vendetta – While Examinations Raise Safety Concerns, What About Protest Groups?
Rahul Gandhi has been overtly vocal about his opposition about the JEE and NEET exams to be held now. But this is the same Rahul Gandhi who had earlier raised similar-looking oppositions on the decisions of a Lockdown.
Amarjeet Singh, who was doing the noble deed of distributing blankets in the middle of summer on the occasion of the Minister’s birthday, did not regard the social distancing norms then, even though it could have been conducted otherwise.
Students that are rallying on the streets are also flouting the social distancing norms, and it is overlooked that the spreading of the virus can come through those protests as well.
The opposition looks a lot like a Political Vendetta, and something that an opposition party or state is supposed to do, devoid of reason or reality.
It is absolutely right, that we have to maintain safety to stay alive. But the COVID-19 is the new normal, and we have to learn to live with it. The examination is important for the career and future of these children, is it really the right move to halt it? We need both good health and secure career for our children. It is about time to Unlock and move on.