* The Union education ministry stands by its decision to conduct tests. Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has reiterated that the government will hold the tests, and said the decisions has been taken holistically “keeping the careers of students in mind”. The ministry says a zero-year is not in the interest of students.
* The National Testing Agency (NTA) is preparing to hold the two examinations in a few days from now. Over 25 lakh students are to take the tests—the medical entrance exam NEET and the engineering entrance exam JEE (mains). NTA officials are in touch with officials from other states as well.
Also Read: JEE-NEET: To hold or not to hold
* Opposition to the tests also continues. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has written to the education ministry to postpone the exams. Chief ministers such as Mamata Banerjee, Amarinder Singh and V Narayanasamy have expressed their concerns about the exams during the Covid-19 pandemic. Protests are expected to continue.
* Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have accused opposition parties of indulging in politics over the exams. “The Congress believes students must lose a year so it doesn’t lose an opportunity for politics. Over 85% #JEENEET candidates don’t agree and have downloaded admit cards. The Modi government won’t let the Congress spoil students’ future to find relevance,” BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said.
{{/usCountry}}* Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have accused opposition parties of indulging in politics over the exams. “The Congress believes students must lose a year so it doesn’t lose an opportunity for politics. Over 85% #JEENEET candidates don’t agree and have downloaded admit cards. The Modi government won’t let the Congress spoil students’ future to find relevance,” BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said.
{{/usCountry}}* The number of students who downloaded the admit cards is rising. Over 1.06 million students have downloaded the admit cards for the NEET exam so far. Around 1.6 million students are expected to take the test on September 13. For JEE, over 0.75 million of the 0.858 million registered students have downloaded the admit cards. The education ministry considers this “the willingness of most students to take the exam”.