Students Continue Protests Against NEET-JEE During COVID-19, Centre to Conduct Exam

As the dates for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) exams come closer, a section of students across the country are protesting against conducting exams in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with threats of the pandemic, students from flood hit states including Bihar, Assam and Gujarat face difficulty to commute to the exam centres since the transportation facilities are limited. Internet restriction in Jammu and Kashmir is also a hindrance for the students from that region.

Over 8.58 lakh engineering aspirants have applied for the JEE exam which is scheduled to be conducted from September 1-6. While, 15.97 lakh medical aspirants have applied for the NEET exam which is scheduled to be conducted on September 13. Usually, the JEE is conducted in April and NEET is in May. But, 2020 entrance exams have been postponed due to the pandemic and lockdown.

“I am a parent. I would like to request the MHRD [Ministry of Human Resource Development] to postpone the JEE and NEET exams, as my daughter and son are both planning to appear for the exams and I feel extremely uncomfortable sending them to write an exam in such an unsafe situation, due to COVID-19,” said Yasmin Sayyed, mother of two NEET aspirants who lives in Jalgaon, Maharashtra.

However, a section of student and parents point out that postponing the exams would create stress in students.

“I have been preparing for the NEET exam. Every time, when the exam is being postponed, it creates stress on me. Once the exam is over, we are free from pressure too,” said Aleena from Kozhikode.

“It is my dream to clear the exam with a good rank. But as we all know, thousands of people are dying due to COVID-19. Normal life has stopped. The government’s decision to go ahead with the exams is shocking. In many states, a lockdown has been imposed and public transport is suspended. At such a time, the government is forcing us to get out of our homes despite all the problems. It is unfortunate,” said Vishal Chaurasia from Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, a JEE aspirant and has been studying in a coaching centre in Rajasthan’s Kota for the last two years in order to clear the exam.

Also watch: Who Will Listen to the 'Mann ki Baat' of NEET-JEE Candidates?

But, there is no exam centre in Deoria. He has to travel to Lucknow to attend the exam. Uttar Pradesh, one of the biggest states with 75 districts has only 41 exam centres. Distant examination centres and lack of transportation facilities especially at the time of pandemic are concerns for many like Vishal.

Students’ Organisations Call for Nationwide Protest on September 2

Meanwhile, students’ organisations including Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), etc., have been demanding the postponement of examination. They even started an online campaign with the hashtag, #ProtestAgainstExamsinCovid.

As the Centre has decided to move ahead with conducting exams in September, five students’ organisations- SFI, AISF (All India Students’ Federation), AISA, AISB (All India Students’ Bloc) and PSU (Progressive Students’ Union) have given a call for nationwide protest on September 2.

“In the recent pandemic situation, where the entire country is facing an extreme health and economic crisis, we strongly oppose the central government's decision to conduct JEE-NEET examinations for admission to professional courses across the country. As the number of infected as well as the number of deceased is increasing everyday, it is an extremely insensitive move by the government, completely neglecting the health of the students,” the organisations said in a joint statement.

“SFI, AISF, AISA, AISB and PSU condemns this autocratic move by the BJP government and calls for a nationwide protest in all forms on the 2nd of September. Students across the country, unite against this anti-student government and its policies. It is an appeal before the Supreme Court to rethink it's decision for the sake of the Students,” it added.

Non-NDA leaders move Supreme Court seeking postponement of NEET and JEE 

On Friday, August 28, non-NDA leaders from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena moved the Supreme Court seeking postponement of NEET and JEE keeping in view the health and safety of students amid rising COVID-19 cases.

Ministers of six opposition-ruled states moved the court seeking review of its order permitting the Centre to conduct NEET and JEE this year amid the persisting pandemic. The review plea has been filed by ministers from West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Punjab (B S Sidhu) and Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant).

In a joint online press conference of the parties, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the grounds on which their review petition has been filed has not been heard by the court so far and is different from those petitions which have been dismissed by the top court.

The petition for postponement of the entrance exams has aspects like safety, security and health of students, logistics which are required for holding the tests with 25 lakh students taking them and balancing health and education of students.

The review plea was filed on Friday in the backdrop of the Supreme Court on August 17 refusing to interfere with the conduct of medical and engineering entrance exams -- NEET and JEE — scheduled to take place in September saying that life must go on and students can''t lose a precious year due to the pandemic.

Also read: Coerced Exams During Pandemic Is Ludicrous

Singhvi said that they have only sought deferment or postponement of NEET and JEE and not cancellations, as they do not want the academic year of students to be wasted.

"Though a petition has been dismissed by the court in this regard, none of the points raised by us have been discussed by the court earlier. Ours is a petition for deferment and not for cancellation of exams," he said.

On August 17, the top court had dismissed a plea by one Sayantan Biswas and others seeking direction to National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts both the NEET and JEE exams, to postpone them after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that all safeguards would be taken.

This fresh petition is a constructive, non-negative, non-destructive approach to not cancel the exams but defer them, the Congress spokesperson said.

"We are doing this as our duty towards the youth and students of our country and in public interest. We are not deterred by clearly admitted constraints of both time and earlier petition dismissed, which was totally avoidable and which did not raise any of these issues. Without denying the constraints, there is always hope," Singhvi said.

He claimed that this petition represented around 30% area and population of the country.

Singhvi suggested that the exams, which are starting from September 1, be deferred till November and the academic session can start from January to save the academic year.

The petition follows a meeting of chief ministers of seven states. It was convened virtually by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday. Singhvi also accused the central government of being insensitive and inefficient, and termed it as a "government of apathy and contradictions".

The petition says that it be listed before the Supreme Court at the earliest, otherwise grave and irreparable harm and injury would befall on the student community of our country and not only the health, welfare and safety.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said conducting examinations of this magnitude when the infection is at its peak poses serious health hazards for the students, their parents and persons conducting these exams. He said the issue would also come before Parliament for discussion, where all parties will come together on it.

"It is very clear that we will be speaking in one voice. The review petition is only one step in that direction. It is beyond politics and it is in the interest of students," O’Brien said.

He added that in jointly filing the petition, various governments have shown "great team work" and it is being filed in the "true spirit of federalism". O'Brien added that this is a big step in fighting for the rights of students, which will be taken forward in 2020.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said many students would not be able to take these exams out of fear or due to logistical difficulties. Besides, he said, some may even be suffering from underlying health conditions such as asthma and diabetes, thus making it even more dangerous for them to physically appear at examination centres.

"It seems the central government is being adamant and stubborn in holding the exams," Soren said, asking who will be responsible for the health of students.

He urged the Supreme Court to take a holistic view on the matter, noting that the central government seems to have shed its responsibility on states and is not bothered about controlling the spread of coronavirus.

Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant was also present at the conference but he had to leave for a meeting.

Singhvi argued that with recent information about the spread of the virus, conducting physical examination of such magnitude can have disastrous consequences. He said with the prime minister giving sermons on safety every day, holding the examinations of such nature would make a mockery of the COVID-19 safeguards.

The Congress leader noted that COVID-19 is dormant and people are asymptomatic, and temperature guns at exam centres would not be enough as safeguards at exam centres, which have a density of 1,500 students per centre for JEE and 450 for NEET.

"The exam centres are a recipe for disaster as far as health of students is concerned," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)