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Holding competitive exams must: NTA
New Delhi As opposition persists against the Centre’s decision to hold the Joint Entrance Examination, or JEE, (Main) and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Examination (NEET) next month, the National Testing Agency and the ministry of education are considering an outreach plan to communicate to stakeholders why conducting these tests is of vital importance.
Some students and their parents as well as some educationists and state governments have opposed the decision to conduct the exams next month at a time when the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic is still raging.
JEE scores determine admission to top engineering schools including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and NEET is the basis for admission to medical and dental courses.
“It is only after considering all aspects that the government has taken this decision. Moreover, the matter had also come before the Supreme Court, which gave its view. The NTA is maintaining communication with important functionaries of the states, especially those related to the health and education. The ministry is also trying to convey its view so that the tests can be conducted in a smooth manner. It will reach out further,” said a government official who requested anonymity.
On Thursday, Union minister of education (MoE) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank reiterated that the government was clear that it would hold the tests and said the decision had been taken “keeping the career of the student in mind”.
Nishank also said that the Director General of the NTA, Vineet Joshi, had told him that over 750,000 out of 858,000 JEE candidates had downloaded admit cards to take the test. Over 1 million of the nearly 1.6 million NEET candidates too had downloaded the admit cards in 24 hours, he added. “Students want that the exams are held at any cost,” Nishank said.
“Our education secretary is in constant communication with the chief secretary, education and health secretaries of all the states. There is a lot of vigilance and I want to assure the students that arrangements have been made by the NTA. It has 72 guidelines that will ensure the safe conduction of the two exams and I am confident that students will not waste a year,” he told a news agency.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested him to postpone the exams in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday wrote an open letter opposing the central government’s decision to hold NEET and JEE exams. Congress leaders have also raised questions and held protests on the issue.
The senior government official cited above said there were reservations but the ministry would try to communicate its viewpoint and try to address them.
“A delay may lead to a zero year which is not in the interest of students at all. The opportunity needs to be provided to the students and an entire academic year cannot be allowed to be wasted,” said the official.
While JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6, NEET is planned to be held on September 13.
On Wednesday, chief ministers of several Opposition-ruled states decided to challenge the Centre over concerns of their rights getting undermined, even as demands surfaced at a virtual meeting that they collectively move the Supreme Court against the Union government’s plan to hold the exams.