Mumbai: With the Supreme Court (SC) direction on Monday that competitive National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) will not be deferred but conducted as per schedule, some students are relieved while others are disappointed. Some students said they can now appear for the entrance exams and secure admissions at least by the end of this year without wasting any more time. While, others said they fear serious risks of Covid-19 infection as they are being forced to appear for exams amidst a pandemic.
Following the direction on Monday, students posted messages on social media with #SCpostponeJEE_NEET and #StudentsLivesMatter. Gargi Arvind, a student preparing for NEET said, "It is disappointing to hear that the authorities are not concerned about the safety of students. I do not understand the urgency to conduct entrance exams in the middle of a pandemic."
While, Yogesh Mane, a student preparing for JEE, said, "There are lakhs of students who will appear for JEE. How are we going to maintain distancing and take precautionary measures while dealing with such a large number. What if even one student or exam staff is affected or infected? Who will be responsible? Exams can wait because our health is priority."
The All India Students' Association (AISA) has written to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on August 17 seeking appointment in the next two days to discuss concerns of students and parents about holding NEET and JEE during a pandemic.
On the other hand, some students are relieved by the direction. Vaishali Vyas, a student preparing for JEE said, "I have been studying for JEE since the last two and a half years as the exam was supposed to be conducted in May. If the entrance exam is conducted in September, we will be able to start the academic year in engineering by the end of the year."
Prajapati Kumar, a student preparing for NEET said, "We have already lost half of this academic year. If entrance tests are not conducted anytime soon, we will lose the entire academic year. I am willing to take the risk because I want to pursue the medical field. Also, admissions to Undergraduate (UG) programmes have started. I do not want to opt for a general science course when I can appear for NEET and enter the mainstream medical field."
