It's scary to take exams as Coronavirus deaths rising: JEE, NEET aspirants

Kota: Thousands of Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main and the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants at Rajasthan's Kota, India's biggest coaching hub, continue to protest on social media with videos demanding the postponement of exams till the coronavirus pandemic shows a decline in numbers.

After the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exams, clarified that the JEE and NEET will take place as scheduled, students, as well as the coaching institutes in Kota, have registered their disagreement. They called the move to conduct the exams, meant for admissions to engineering and medical colleges, "insensitive."

"I still remember those restless two weeks in April when hundreds of students like me wanted to go back to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh in the middle of the pandemic. And finally, we left Kota in buses. But most of us had to return to Kota fearing that exams might be slated any day and we had opted for Kota as the test centre," said 18-year-old NEET aspirant Ranjit Singh Rajput. "But thousands of our batchmates who studied here with us in the coaching centre are unable to reach their centres. And especially with the rise in deaths due to the Covid-19, it's scary to take exams right now", Rajput, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and is presently in Kota, according to Outlook report

Most of the students who underwent coaching from Kota institutes are also protesting on social media and posting their videos on Facebook and Twitter against the arrangements done by the government.

"Not every city has an exam centre. Students along with their parents will have to move to another city for the examination centre. Also, how can they ensure the social distancing aspect? Moreover, it's inhumane to appear for exams with masks on for three hours," another NEET aspirant Jaya, who is presently stuck in Kota said

Echoing Jaya's concerns, JEE aspirant Manas said, "What about those students whose family members have contracted Covid and are in quarantine? How will they appear for exams? The examination authorities have been insensitive all this while. There will be movement of lakhs of students as well as their parents which will lead to more Covid cases."

Meant for admissions in medical colleges and IITs, JEE which is a computer-based test, is slated to be held between September 1 and 6 while the NEET (UG), a pen- paper-based exam, will be held on September 13. However, the government has said that they have made all arrangements to ensure a smooth conduct of both exams. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has reiterated its commitment to go ahead with the exams next month.