Amid growing demand for the postponement of JEE and NEET examinations by students, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Friday said that he has conveyed to education minister that NEET, JEE and other similar exams should be conducted after Diwali.
There has been no official word on the issue from the education ministry. A person aware of the developments, however, said there was no decision at the moment to postpone the exams. The reluctance to defer the exam is centered around the government’s view that it would be difficult to get the 2020-21 academic year moving without the exam.
Taking to twitter the BJP MP said, “I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali. The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now.”
In another tweet on Friday Swamy wrote, “I have already tweeted as well as conveyed to Education Minister that NEET exams should be after Deepavali. Minister is holding an emergency meeting. Let us see. I was asked to intervene by you all at a very late stage after SC had delivered its judgment.”
Earlier in the day Swamy said, “Since the number of new COVID 19 cases has soared to 70,000 per day, it is in the balance of public interest that Education Ministry approach the CJI court at his home and seek an adjournment to November after Deepavali.”
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day Swamy said, “Since the number of new COVID 19 cases has soared to 70,000 per day, it is in the balance of public interest that Education Ministry approach the CJI court at his home and seek an adjournment to November after Deepavali.”
{{/usCountry}}“When I said NEET exams postponement, I meant postponement of all similar Entrance Exams like JEE, etc !” he stated.
JEE Main exam 20202 is scheduled to be held from September 1 to 6, while the date for conducting NEET is September 13.
Supreme Court had on Monday rejected a plea seeking postponement of the two entrance tests in the backdrop of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). A three-judge bench headed by justice Arun Mishra said “life has to go on” despite the outbreak of the viral disease and the court cannot put the career of students in jeopardy by interfering with the decision of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to hold the examinations in September.
The petition filed on August 7 by 11 JEE/ NEET aspirants sought postponement of the exams in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
The author tweets @ NandiniJourno