Climate and environmental activist, Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, has extended support to students protesting against the NEET and JEE exams scheduled to be held next month, given that the world is still fighting against the pandemic.
Expressing concerns for the students, Greta tweeted, “It’s deeply unfair that students of India are asked to sit national exams during the Covid-19 pandemic and while millions have also been impacted by the extreme floods. I stand with their call to #PostponeJEE_NEETinCOVID.”
Students (national and international) and their parents have been continuously agitating against the conduction of exams amid pandemic. Student unions including SFI, DYFI, and AIDWA have protested against the examination.
The students’ protest surged on social media after a medical student died by suicide, allegedly afraid of facing NEET. As per All India Students Association (AISA), demanding the cancellation of entrance exams, including NEET, CLAT, JEE, etc., almost 4,000 students hold a day-long hunger strike from their homes.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank defended the decision to conduct examinations and said Tuesday evening, “We have been under constant pressure from parents and students, asking why we are not allowing JEE and NEET. The students were very worried. In their minds they were thinking for how long will they continue to study?”
The National Testing Agency also issued a new circular saying, “The JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) exams will be held on the dates announced earlier, which are 1st to 6th September and 13th September respectively.”
West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to postpone the entrance exams untile the pandemic situation becomes under control. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi to listen to the students opposing while tweeting, “GOI must listen to the #StudentsKeMannKiBaat about NEET, JEE exams and arrive at an acceptable solution.”
Numerous political leaders across the country, including, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Subramanian Swamy, Yuva Neta Aaditya Thackeray, and DMK President M K Stalin have demanded the Central government to postpone the exams further.
Aaditya Thackeray also tweeted in support of students, “I have written to then Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodiji, on the health risks that the proposed exams of various streams, and entrance exams, would have for students and families across India and for his personal intervention.”
The Joint Entrance examination (JEE) Mains and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) are entrance tests held annually for admissions into the prestigious engineering and medical institutions across India. These exams are typically held in April and May every year. However, due to coronavirus pandemic, these exams were postponed multiple times and are currently scheduled to be held in September.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has already released admit card for JEE Main and may release admit card for NEET late this week.