Postponement of JEE, NEET proving stressful for students, educationists

 

 

 

Owing to COVID-19 second wave in all over nation, many exams including class 12 board exams have been postponed or cancelled. Because of it, the schedule of two most important national level competitive exams, Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has also been affected and it is clearly obstructing the admission of the students in first year of engineering and medicine in technical as well as medical colleges. It is noteworthy to mention here that JEE and NEET (Undergraduate) are high-stake entrance examinations for getting admission in engineering and medical colleges. While JEE Main’s third session was to take place in the last week of April and fourth session was scheduled to take place in May.

 

The JEE-Advanced (first 2,00,000 lakh holders of JEE Mains to compete for getting admission at first year of B Tech in IITs) is scheduled for July and NEET (UG) on August 1. But in the current situation, it seems that JEE Advanced and NEET will not be organised on these proposed dates. “How much and to what extent is yet to be worked out, but its impact will be there. The centre thinks students should not be put under stress when the nation is in the grip of a second wave,” said Dr P K Sengupta, Technical Educationist and visiting professor of IIT Dhanbad. Dr Sengupta also added that the postponement of board exams, JEE Mains (April as well as May) and NEET (Postgraduate) is a clear signal of that. But too much delay or postpone of these two competitive exams should force many colleges especially medical colleges to declare the academic session 2021-22 as zero year.

 

As it not possible for authorities of medical colleges to complete the vast curriculum of first year of MBBS in short time period. “Apart from theory papers, there are lots of practical sessions in first year of MBBS. It is impossible to finish it in short span of time,” pointed Dr A K Chandrakar, Professor of Medical College. As a result of it, thousands of students in entire State are in stress. They are in fear and want clear explanation from NTA (National Testing Agency) regarding these exams. “We are helpless and in dilemma. Neither Union Ministry of education nor organising agency NTA give any clarification about it. This silence cannot force colleges to declare this academic session as zero year,” asserted Rohit Pandit, Akash Bose and Piyali Gupta, all aspirants of NEET.