The centre decision to conduct JEE and NEET 2020 entrance exams and other final year college exams amid the coronavirus pandemic has led to the mass protest of students against the same. #ProtestAgainstExamsInCOVID is trending on Twitter with more than 1.6 million tweets.
Meanwhile, Former Cabinet Minister Subramanian Swamy sent out a tweet from his official account saying that he has urged the Central Government to postpone the Medical Entrance Exam and hold them only after Diwali, looking at the prevailing situation due to COVID-19 pandemic.
In another tweet on Friday Swamy wrote, “I have already tweeted as well as conveyed to Education Minister that NEET exams should be after Deepavali. Minister is holding an emergency meeting. Let us see. I was asked to intervene by you all at a very late stage after SC had delivered its judgment.”
I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali. The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 21, 2020
Students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) appearing for their compartmental exams, NEET-JEE aspirants and several other final year college students have planned to stage a protest from home against the Centre’s decision to conduct exams in September, a report in New Indian Express stated.
The protest will be led by student unions such as the All India Student Association (AISA) and Student Federation of India (SFI).
“Currently, conducting exams offline is not a solution. It will put the lives of students in danger as the number of cases in the national capital and across the country are increasing rapidly every day. In such times, travelling from one place to another place will put students at an increased risk of getting infected,” said Prita, a student.
Supreme Court had on Monday rejected a plea seeking postponement of the two entrance tests amid COVID-19. A three-judge bench headed by justice Arun Mishra said “life has to go on” despite the outbreak of the viral disease and the court cannot put the career of students in jeopardy by interfering with the decision of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to hold the examinations in September.
