JEE, NEET 2020: Political leaders urge PM Modi to postpone exams – 10 updates

As the speculations around conducting Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic continue to rise, the requests for the postponement of these competitive exams also increase.

However, the Ministry of Education clarified that JEE, NEET 2020 will take place in September as it was scheduled.

As per the public notices issued by NTA, JEE (Main) April 2020 is scheduled from September 1-6, while NEET UG 2020 exam is scheduled for September 13.

Meanwhile, the chorus for postponing various examinations, including NEET and JEE, grew louder in view of rising Covid-19 cases.

Here are the 10 major updates on the NEET, JEE controversy:

1.The Supreme Court Monday declined to pass a direction to Centre to hold NEET (UG) 2020 at examination centres in Gulf countries. The top court, however, asked the government to allow students to come via "Vande Bharat Mission" flights to appear for the exam.

2."If the Joint Entrance Exam can be held online then you should consider NEET also to be held in an online form from next year," the court said.

3.DMK President M K Stalin on Monday urged Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to postpone the competitive exams until the spread of COVID-19 was brought under control.

4."No decision shall be made in haste putting the lives of students at stake. The government shall act, keeping the well-being and future of students in mind. In the light of the severe difficulties, I sincerely request you to postpone the JEE, NEET exams until COVID-19 is brought under control," the DMK chief urged Centre.

5.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone the JEE and NEET exams due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, saying lives of students should not be put at risk by taking such "unilateral and bureaucratic decisions".

6.Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray writes to PM Narendra Modi 'requesting him to intervene and postpone all academic activities to do with physical or online examinations across the country, for all professional courses including entrance exams'.

7.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the government must listen to the 'mann ki baat' of students and arrive at "an acceptable solution" and his party demanded to defer conducting these exams.

8.On Friday, Bhartiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy said that he has urged PM Modi as well as the education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to conduct the entrance examinations of NEET, JEE and other competitive exams till after Diwali, in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic. He also cited that the Supreme Court "doesn't bind the government at all, on whether to now or two weeks later or two months later, the examinations. It is a policy decision of the Government."

9.On 17 August, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking postponement of these exams, saying precious year of students "cannot be wasted" and life has to go on. The plea, filed by 11 students belonging to 11 states, had sought quashing of the July 3 notices issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), by which it was decided to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) April 2020 and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams in September.

10. Subsequenrlty, the apex court of India had dismissed a plea seeking the postponement of these exams which are scheduled to be held in September amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases, saying precious year of students "cannot be wasted" and "life has to go on".