'Is it fair to expose students to COVID-19?': Priyanka Vadra slams Centre on NEET-JEE row

Commenting on the controversy around the JEE and NEET exams, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday opined that such matters should not be politicised. While the JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. She called upon the Centre to listen to the opinion of students and concerned parents. 

Observing that these students are the future of India, Vadra contended that it would be unfair to conduct the exams amid the rising scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are 33,87,500 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 25,83,948 patients have recovered while 61,529 fatalities have been reported. Earlier in the day, Cabinet Ministers of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Maharashtra filed a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's order dated August 17 rejecting the plea to postpone the JEE and NEET exams. 

Read: On NEET-JEE Row, 'Heavens Won't Fall If Exams Are Postponed' Says Shatrughan Sinha

Education Minister rules out rethink

On Thursday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank stated that the career of students was the first priority for the Union government. Reiterating that the JEE and NEET exams would be held as scheduled, he maintained that one year of the students should not be wasted. Moreover, he quoted the Supreme Court order which found no merit in postponing the JEE and NEET exams. 

Pokhriyal added that the Union Health Secretary had written to top administrative officials in states to ensure that the safety of candidates is given paramount importance. Additionally, he hailed the guidelines issued by the National Testing Agency for preventing the spread of COVID-19.  It is pertinent to note that the NTA has assured all the students of a safe environment in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Social distancing measures

The NTA observed that over 99% of the candidates in both exams had got their first choice of centre cities. Furthermore, the number of exam centres for JEE Main and NEET has been increased. In the case of JEE Main, the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from 1.32 lakh to 85,000. While the candidates for JEE Main shall be seated in alternate seats, the number of candidates per room in the NEET exam will be 12 instead of 24. The candidates have also been issued an advisory on proper social distancing.

Read: 'I Feel Like Vidura': Subramanian Swamy Draws Mahabharat Reference To JEE, NEET Exams