Published 17:23 IST, August 24th 2020

Mamata Banerjee reiterates her stand on NEET, JEE exams, urges PM to reconsider move

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again, reiterated her stand on not having physical exams for students amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic

Education News
2 min read

Follow:

null | Image: self

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again, reiterated her stand on not having physical exams for students amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

"In our last video conference with the Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, I had been vocal against the UGC guidelines mandating completion of terminal examinations in Universities and Colleges by the end of September 2020, which had a huge potential to put student lives at risk," West Bengal's Chief Minister tweeted on Monday.

Mamata Banerjee had also written to PM Modi seeking his intervention in the matter of University exams. She has earlier asked the PM to re-examine the matter and restore the earlier advisory of the UGC.

READ | Hit Hard By COVID-19 Outbreak, Bengal Weavers Migrate To Other Places For Jobs

Appeals PM Modi to postpone exams

The West Bengal government took a cue from the UGC guidelines released on April 29 and issued an advisory to all state-run universities and cancelled terminal semester or year exams. The UGC advisory stated that assessment would be done on the basis of internal assessment and marks scored in previous semesters. It also stated about holding special exams after the situation was under control, for students who wished to appear in a formal examination. The CM has been a vocal critic of the Centre's policy of having physical exams for students in the pandemic.

READ | Bengal COVID Tally Climbs To 1,38,870 With Record 3,274 New Infections

Now with the directive of @EduMinOfIndia to conduct NEET, JEE 2020 in Sep, I would again appeal to the Centre to assess the risk and postpone these examinations until the situation is conducive again. It is our duty to ensure a safe environment for all our students. (2/2)
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 24, 2020

Apart from Miss Banerjee, political and social leaders across the country, including BJP MP Subramanium Swamy has showed their apprehensions against having physical exams in the current scenario. Multiple students organizations have objected on the same. The hashtag SATYAGRAHagainstExamInCovid on Twitter was trending on no 1, where many students appealed to the government to pay heed to their demands.