NEET-JEE row: Exams should be held in September as scheduled, says JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar

Amid the row over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) exams, Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday asserted that the JEE and NEET exams should be carried out as planned in September, keeping the future of the students in mind. He also said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has prepared a systematic SOP for the students' safety and has also increased testing centres to conduct the exams.

"Keeping the future of the students in mind, I strongly feel that the JEE and NEET exams should be conducted as planned in September. These two exams have been twice postponed in the last few months. The National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts these two exams has made it very clear that they have increased the number of testing centres and they have also come up with Standard Operating Protocols which the students can follow to keep themselves safe in the examination centres," the JNU VC said.

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Citing a recent example of Goa Kumar said 19,000 students from secondary and higher secondary schools successfully wrote their examinations. The Goa state entrance test was also conducted successfully, he said. Adding further he said during these times when students are preparing for the entrance test, they are already anxious.

"We should not cause further anxiety by insisting on postponing these entrance examinations. If you see the number of students who have downloaded the admit cards from the portal, it is very clear that a large number of students would like to write these entrance examinations," Kumar said.

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He said that educational institutes were ready to admit a new batch of students and move on with their academic programmes.
He also agreed with the Supreme court views that life should go on and students cannot waste one whole year. "We all must ensure that both JEE and NEET are held as per the schedule in September," he added.

Dates for JEE & NEET finalised

Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday stated that keeping in mind the order of the Supreme Court and the current situation of the pandemic, the exam dates had been finalised after two deferments. The Education Minister revealed that about 85 percent of the students appearing for the exams had already downloaded their admit cards and were ready to sit for their tests after much preparation. He further said that the exams will go on as currently scheduled.

"After two deferments, exam dates have been finalised. 85% of JEE aspirants have already downloaded their admit cards. About 7.25 lakh stundets are already ready to appear for the exams," said the Education Minister.

The JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, and the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. The NTA assured all the students of a safe environment in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

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(With ANI inputs)