Government may defer JEE, NEET exams

NEW DELHI: The Union government may defer the exam schedules of the Joint entrance exam (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in the view of the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country.

The JEE (Main) for engineering colleges and the NEET for medical colleges are scheduled to take place later this month. While JEE (Mains), the first leg of the two-tier entrance, is currently scheduled between 18 July and 23 July in multiple test windows, NEET is slated for 26 July.

“The Union HRD minister has been talking about the safety of the students as a key factor. The situation in the last week -10 days, after a CBSE board exam decisions, has only worsened with more positive cases being reported every day. This makes it a tough case to go ahead with a physical model of exam for two high stake exams," said a government official.

The spike in coronavirus cases led to the scrapping of the CBSE Class 10 board exams scheduled between 1 July and 15 July. The board had said an optional examination will be conducted for class 12 students as soon as the situation becomes conducive.

"There are hardly any issues before the specialists. Will these tests be held both on the web and disconnected mode to a great extent from a home setting? Two, can all understudies have the office to take a period bound, high stake entrance with no trouble in access to required contraptions, continuous power and fast web," the authority said. 

"Be that



as it may, the other issue is conceding the doors will have an orientation on the advanced education scholastic schedule," the authority included. 

On Thursday evening HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had said that he has framed an audit board to talk about the direct of these two placement tests in the wake of covid-19 emergency in the nation. The executive general of National Testing Agency (NTA) the body that directs the test is probably going to present its proposals to the clergyman on the plausibility of the test in the booked date. 

The HRD service is probably going to declare a conventional choice on whether it is conceivable to lead the tests in its pre-fixed dates, in the following couple of days.

“Looking at the prevailing circumstances & requests received from students & parents appearing for JEE & NEET examinations, a committee consisting of @DG_NTA & other experts has been advised to review the situation & submit its recommendations to the HRD Ministry latest by tomorrow," Pokhriyal had twitted last evening.

Around 2.5 million students put together are expected to sit for both JEE and NEET exams, and the government “may take a judicious decision to defer it to a further date after July," said the official declining to be named.

As of 3rd July, India has reported more than 625,540 cases of COVID-19 positive cases including 18,213 deaths so far. For the last few days, the country is reporting over 20,000 positive cases a day.