Govt should consider students’ ‘Mann ki baat’ and defer NEET, JEE: Congress

New Delhi, August 23

Top Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday, requested the government to defer the all-India medical and engineering entrance examinations taking into consideration the concerns raised by a section of students and parents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Rahul Gandhi said the government must listen to the ‘mann ki baat’ of students and arrive at “an acceptable solution” while party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sought the postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) till the coronavirus situation improved in the country.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that the exams be deferred while Kapil Sibal said these exams needed to be postponed.

“GOI must listen to the #StudentsKeMannKiBaat about NEET, JEE exams and arrive at an acceptable solution,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

आज हमारे लाखों छात्र सरकार से कुछ कह रहे हैं। NEET, JEE परीक्षा के बारे में उनकी बात सुनी जानी चाहिए और सरकार को एक सार्थक हल निकालना चाहिए।

GOI must listen to the #StudentsKeMannKiBaat about NEET, JEE exams and arrive at an acceptable solution.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 23, 2020

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said: “The COVID-19 situation in the country is yet to normalise. In such a situation, if students who are taking NEET and JEE, and their parents have raised concerns, then these should be taken into consideration by the government and those conducting these exams.”

कोरोना को लेकर देश में परिस्थितियां अभी सामान्य नहीं हुईं हैं। ऐसे में अगर NEET और JEE परीक्षा देने वाले छात्र-छात्राओं व उनके अभिभावकों ने कुछ चिंताएं जाहिर की हैं तो भारत सरकार व टेस्ट कराने वाली संस्थाओं को उस पर सही से सोच विचार करना चाहिए#SATYAGRAH_AgainstExamsInCovid

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 23, 2020

Chowdhury requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and postpone the exams.

“The aspirants of the national examination are under tremendous mental pressure as to how they could remain immune to the infection while attending the examination physically. Right at this pandemic situation, their concerns should be given due consideration. The spectre of corona will be haunting the students during the examination period stretching from September 1 to 6,” he said in his letter.

Chowdhury said when the country was witnessing a spike of COVID-19 infection with a single-day rise of 70,000 cases, “I think it is absolutely necessary to review the date of the exam because approximately 25 lakh students are supposed to participate in the exam, hence I thought it prudent to knock the door of the wisdom of Prime Minister of India”.

“Your sagacious intervention may bring about the relief of those anxious aspirants. My suggestion to you Prime Minister is that the examination could be deferred for a certain period till the situation is stable,” he added.

Former HRD Minister Kapil Sibal also tweeted: “Stop this injustice. NEET-JEE Entrance Exams. Elitist approach. The poor discriminated. Digital divide. Jeopardising lives. Reaching exam sites hazardous. Poor connectivity and more. Only just, fair and sensible solution is to postpone: NEET, JEE.”

STOP THIS INJUSTICE

NEET – JEE Entrance Exams

Elitist approach
The poor discriminated
Digital divide
Jeopardising lives
Reaching exam sites hazardous
Poor connectivity
& more

Only just , fair and sensible solution is to postpone:

NEET
JEE

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) August 23, 2020

The Supreme Court on Monday had dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations, which are scheduled to be conducted in September, amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying the precious year of students “cannot be wasted” and life has to go on.

The JEE (Main) is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6, while the JEE (Advanced) on September 27. The NEET will be held on September 13.

On Friday, Education Ministry officials had said the JEE (Main) and the NEET-UG will be conducted in September as scheduled.

JEE is for admission into premier engineering colleges while NEET for undergraduate medical courses. PTI