New Delhi: Over 14 lakh admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams – NEET and JEE – were downloaded Wednesday. The admit cards were downloaded after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released them. The cards were released even as the issue was discussed extensively during a meeting of chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states. The non-BJP ruled states have decided to jointly move the Supreme Court to seek deferment of these exams.
The issue has been a matter of intense public discourse for past few months. The holding of the NEE and JEE exams has evoked contrasting views. Many are backing the holding of the tests fearing that it may lead to a zero academic year for students. The Opposition and activists are demanding their postponement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The issue also took political undertones on Wednesday with opposition leaders attacking the Central government.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had convened a meeting on the day. She said that the students’ problems were being dealt ‘uncaringly’ by the Centre. During the meeting the chief ministers of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Pondicherry agreed to the need for filing a review petition. Through the reciew petition the Supreme Court will be asked to reconsider its recent order rejecting the postponement of the competitive exams.
The NEET is planned September 13 while engineering entrance exam JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET.
These exams have already been deferred twice. JEE-Main was originally supposed to be held from April 7-11 and postponed to July 18-23. NEET-UG was originally scheduled for May 3 and then pushed to July 26.
The Opposition has taken up this issue strongly with several leaders, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackerey, Naveen Patnaik, DMK president MK Stalin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, demanding that the exams be postponed.
However, there are many others who believe delaying the exams further may lead to the loss of an academic year for lakhs of students.
IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said any further delay in conducting entrance exams JEE and NEET will have ‘serious repercussions’ on not only the academic calendar but also the career of bright students.
“The consequences of postponing these exams any further can have serious repercussions on IIT academic calendars and for candidates. I fail to see how we can run two batches together. It will become a zero academic year for lakhs of students,” Rao said.
