Immediately postpone JEE/NEET exams: Partha Chatterjee urges Centre

Kolkata: Partha Chatterjee, state Education minister has urged the Union Education minister RP Nishank to postpone the NEET and JEE examinations in view of the global pandemic.

On Saturday Chatterjee tweeted: "Can you guarantee safety of nearly 30 lakh students who have registered for JEE and NEET exams? With the transport system still not fully operational, why do you want to jeopardize their future so desperately? Immediately postpone the exams."

Earlier Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written letters to Prime Minister Modi to postpone the examinations. Addressing the foundation day of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) on Friday Banerjee had criticised the UGC for issuing contradictory orders which had created confusion among the students and led to their "mental agony affecting their physical health."

Criticising the Centre, Chatterjee said that the

Centre could have easily postponed the examinations till the situation improved. The candidates have to go to the examination centres that are situated far away. In

view of the COVID-19 pandemic, it could have talked to the teachers to ensure that the academic year of the candidates is not lost.

Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Youth Congress president, demanded that the Centre should do medical insurance of 30 lakh candidates and give an undertaking in writing that it will be held responsible if any candidate is infected with Corona.