COVID-19: Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia urges Centre to cancel JEE, NEET entrance exams

File Photo: Twitter/@msisodia

New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday (August 22, 2020) requested the Central government to cancel JEE and NEET admission exams and find an alternative arrangement for admissions due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

"Central Government is playing with the lives of students in the name of JEE-NEET. I request Central Government to cancel these two exams immediately and find an alternative arrangement for admissions this year," wrote Delhi's Deputy CM on his official Twitter account and tagged Union Minister of Education Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

JEE-NEET की परीक्षा के नाम पर लाखों छात्रों की ज़िंदगी से खेल रही है केंद्र सरकार. मेरी केंद्र से विनती है कि पूरे देश में ये दोनो परीक्षाएँ तुरंत रद्द करें और इस साल एडमिशन की वैकल्पिक व्यवस्था करे.
अभूतपूर्व संकट के इस समय में अभूतपूर्व कदम से ही समाधान निकलेगा. @DrRPNishank — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 22, 2020

"To think that just NEET-JEE exam is the only option for admission is very conservative and impractical thinking. Educational institutions around the world are adopting new methods of admission. Why can't we do it in India? Where is it sensible to stake children's lives in the name of entrance examination?", wrote Sisodia.

He also stated, "Today in 21st century India, we cannot think of an entrance exam option! This is not possible. Only the intention of the government should be to think in the interest of students, instead of NEET-JEE, there can be thousands of safe ways."

आज 21वीं सदी के भारत में हम एक प्रवेश परीक्षा का विकल्प नहीं सोच सकते! यह सम्भव नहीं है.

केवल सरकार की नीयत छात्रों के हित में सोचने की होनी चाहिए NEET-JEEE की जगह सुरक्षित तरीक़े तो हज़ार हो सकते हैं.

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 22, 2020

Earlier, the Apex Court order read, "We find that there is absolutely no justification in the prayer made for the postponement of the examinations in question relating to NEET UG-2020 as well as JEE (Main), 2020. In our opinion, though there is a pandemic situation, ultimately life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put in peril for long and a full academic year cannot be wasted." 

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has confirmed that the JEE (Main) exam will be be held from September 1-6 and NEET (UG) on September 13.

According to the statement, "The NTA is happy to share with the JEE (Main) 2020 candidates that it has been able to offer the first choice of preference of centre cities to 99.07 per cent of the candidates," adding "142 candidates have, subsequently, requested for a change in their allotted centre city due to various reasons, and the NTA is considering these requests positively".

"NEET (UG)-2020 is concerned, again for the first time, candidates of this examination were given opportunity five times to change their choice of centre city," it added.

pic.twitter.com/v26LC6Mzo5 — National Testing Agency (@DG_NTA) August 21, 2020

According to government sources, elaborate arrangements have been made to sanitize the centres before and after the exams, provide the candidates with fresh masks, and (on demand) hand gloves based on the comprehensive guidelines issued in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.