Amid a furore over the conduct of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government on Tuesday is all set to begin the examinations from Tuesday. The JEE Main will be held between September 1 and September 6 while NEET will be held on September 13.
The JEE Main and NEET examinations were scheduled to be held in April-May but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they were postponed to July, and finally it was announced that the examinations will be conducted in September.
Many students, parents and members of civil society were protesting the decision as it could potentially put several lakh lives at risk, due to the coronavirus. Many have also moved courts across the country to stall the exam and postpone it temporarily.
According to reports, authorities have made arrangements like increasing the number of examination centres, spaced seating, staggered entry and exit of students and contactless checking of admit cards besides sanitising the premises thoroughly and providing sanitiser and masks to students who are attending the exam.
PTI reported that each candidate would be offered a 3-ply mask at the time of entry and had to wear it for the duration of the exam. Some state governments have also made arrangements to transport students to the centres.
The Railways will permit students appearing for NEET and JEE exams and their guardians to travel by the special suburban services in Mumbai on exam days, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Monday.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) had earlier said that around 8.58 lakh candidates had registered for the JEE while 15.97 lakh had signed up for NEET.
With several opposition leaders and students protesting against the decision of the government to go ahead with the exams, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal defended the move and said that his Ministry is fully prepared for safe conduct of both these exams and is committed to ensuring the safety of the students.
The government doesn't want a zero academic session as the students will have to bear a huge loss, he said, adding, "We are committed to a bright future of our students."
Nishank appealed to the students to give the exams diligently and not to worry about the safety of the examination centres.
With PTI and IANS inputs