IIT heads support conducting NEET and JEE in September
New Delhi: A day after chief ministers of seven states decided to move Supreme Court over the government's decision to conduct medical and engineering entrance exams in September, the heads of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has advocated holding the entrance exams as per the schedule as further delay would lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects.
However, the IIT directors have appealed to students to trust the institutions conducting the exam.
"The pandemic has already disrupted the academic plans of many students and institutions and we don't see the virus going away anytime soon. We should not let this be a 'zero academic year' as it might have consequences on the bright future of several students," said Ajit K Chaturvedi, the director of IIT Roorkee.
"The decision to conduct these exams has been taken after considering every aspect of the current situation. The government has been ensuring that all necessary arrangements are made to safeguard the health and safety of the students. Delaying the exams would have a cascading effect so we should come together in understanding its importance and support the system in conducting it seamlessly," Chaturvedi said.
Notably, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has said that out of 8.58 lakh total candidates in JEE, 7.5 lakh candidates have downloaded admit cards, while for NEET, over 10 lakh out of 15.97 lakh candidates have downloaded their admit cards in the last 24 hours, which shows that students want exams are to be held at any cost. Commenting on the parents demand to defer the exams, IIT Kharagpur Director Virendra Tewari said, "The exams have a global reputation for seeking excellence and are considered one of the toughest and prestigious examinations in the world. A quick alternative to these tests will certainly not be as gratifying as competing for this examination by all fair means."
On the issue, IIT-Ropar director Sarit Kumar, who is also a member of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of IITs, said the decision to conduct the exams in September has not been taken overnight but after due consideration.
The NEET is scheduled to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE Main has been planned from September 1-6. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
JEE-Main was originally supposed to be held from April 7-11, but postponed to July 18-23, NEET-UG was originally scheduled for May 3, then pushed to July 26. They were postponed again and are now scheduled in September.
