Haryana students urge govt to postpone JEE, NEET exams

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the JEE (Mains) for admission to undergraduate programmes in NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutions, and NEET, for admission to MBBS, BDS, BUMS, BHMS and other medical courses, had decided to hold the exams in July, in hope that the cases would go down.

With Covid-19 cases in Haryana and across the country continuing on the upward spiral, students and parents are urging the Centre to postpone the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scheduled to be held this month.

While the JEE main paper is to be held between July 18 and 21, the NEET exam is scheduled for July 26. (Getty Images/Top Photo Group RF)

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the JEE (Mains) for admission to undergraduate programmes in NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutions, and NEET, for admission to MBBS, BDS, BUMS, BHMS and other medical courses, had decided to hold the exams in July, in hope that the cases would go down.

But with no improvement in the situation, many students, especially those living in containment zones, are worried they may facing troubles in reaching the exam centre.

While the JEE main paper is to be held between July 18 and 21, the NEET exam is scheduled for July 26.

‘NO CLUE ABOUT EXAM CENTRE’

Hritik Nain, a NEET aspirant from Rohtak, says, “Only about 24 days are left for the exam but we still don’t know where our exam centre is and how we will reached there, especially since taking a public transport is risky right now. And with many states extending the lockdown till July 31, the government should direct the National Testing Agency to postpone the exams.”

Ashish Jaglan, a JEE aspirant from Hisar, who has been stuck at his uncle’s house in Sonepat since the virus outbreak, says the risk of infection is higher in Sonepat and he doesn’t know how he will appear for the exam, which is barely two weeks away. “Many students will need public transport to reach the exam centre as not everyone has a vehicle of their own. Who will take responsibility if there is an infected student in the exam hall,” he says, adding that due to ongoing situation he has not been able to concentrate on his studies.

The students and their parents are writing to the Union ministry of human resource and development, and the ministry of health and family welfare to intervene and ask the NTA to postpone the exam.