In spite of continued opposition from several quarters to postpone the entrance exams NEET and JEE in light of the pandemic, the Ministry of Education has announced that there are no such plans. Amit Khare, Union Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, told Bar & Bench that NEET 2020 will not be postponed, and that the Supreme Court has given a very clear order in this regard.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition by JEE/NEET aspirants seeking postponement of both the exams due to the pandemic. Justice Arun Misra, who was heading the three-judge bench hearing the plea, stated that the court cannot put students' career in peril by interfering with the tests.
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (Main) exam is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6, and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be held on September 13.
Earlier on Friday, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to postpone the exams, as he had received credible information that states did not have sufficient infrastructure required to ensure safety of students while conducting such competitive exams. He also said that he had previously spoken to Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and claimed that he had been sympathetic to the suggestion.
Many students have been protesting on social media against the decision to hold the exam, expressing their concern over safety and COVID-19 infections.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has already commenced its plans to conduct the exams. The Times of India reported on Thursday that the safety protocol for conducting the tests has been finalised. The protocol reportedly includes decisions like having candidates with above normal body temperature take the test in isolated rooms.
On Tuesday, a three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan heard a batch of petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s order to conduct final year exams in colleges across the country by September 30.
When the issue of welfare of students was brought up, Justice Bhushan said that students are not capable of deciding their welfare.