November 07, 2026

Is It Wise To Hold JEE, NEET Now?

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-08-26 22:03:09

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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Should the National Testing Agency (NTA) postpone JEE and NEET, scheduled to be held in September? This writer was previously inclined not to support any plea for a postponement due to the simple reason that living with the virus after taking due precautions was the best option before mankind. But it is not that easy to form an opinion on the subject. There are many other reasons why the exams need to be postponed.

The first is the problem of the huge number of candidates. The NET might manage to maintain social distancing norms by arranging for a larger number of exam centres and ensure that each exam centre has only that number of students who can be safely seated. It can also put in place all other health protocols to ensure safety. But what about the problems the students will face in reaching the centres? Most students do not get centres close to where they live. With suburban trains and the Metro neither running nor expected to run in September and with public transport also not running at full capacity, it will be a difficult task for students.

Then there is the question of the mental state, both of the students and their families. It is no secret that the support of families is vital when students prepare for such exams. But most families are going through a difficult period now, either due to loss of jobs and income or dip in business and profits. A huge number of Indians are making ends meet by dipping into their savings, which for many are meagre and unlikely to last the course. The students have also not been able to attend proper coaching classes and not all either have access to online training or are comfortable with it. It is not advisable to ask them to appear for the exams in these troubled times.

The NTA has said that it is firm on holding the exams as it does not want the students to lose an academic year. But 6 months have already gone by from the original date of holding the exams. Further, most parents are of the view that even if schools and colleges reopen anytime soon, they will not send their wards for classes. Also, it is not only the students who will lose a year. Most businesses will take more than a year to recover from the setback suffered due to the lockdown. The entire country, nay the world, will lose a year or more. When the choice is between a safe, healthy and happy life and one academic year, it is better to choose the former. For it is not as if some students will suffer a setback while others will move ahead. If all students in the same age group lose an academic year, so be it.

But NET has also pointed out that if the exams are delayed any further, students of government colleges will be put at a disadvantage when compared with students of private colleges as the latter have already started the academic year through online modules. That is a genuine problem. A part of the student body in the same age and qualification bracket cannot be allowed to move ahead while others remain stranded. If the JEE and NEET are not held, the government can direct the private colleges to keep their academic year in suspension until the government colleges start the academic year to create a level playing field for all students.

Several opposition-rules states have already made up their minds to approach the Supreme Court to intervene and direct the NTA and the Centre to postpone the exams. 11 students from 11 states have also filed a similar plea in the apex court. Like it has become the norm in most other things, it will now be upon the Supreme Court to decide whether the exams will be held now or later when the situation improves.