The student community is divided on whether the medical and engineering exams should continue during the pandemic; experts say it may be time to consider innovative alternatives to the mass test
National Students Union of India (NSUI) activists sit on a hunger strike (Chhatra Satyagraha) against non waving of a semester's fees, declaration of conduction of JEE Mains and NEET amid the coronavius pandemic, in front of Education Ministry, on August 27, 2020 in New Delhi, India. Image: Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Eighteen-year-old Hitesh Sharma from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is an aspiring doctor, and has been studying for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for medical education for three years. While Sharma is prepared for the test itself, he sides with the students protesting the NEET being held during the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, 15.97 lakh students have registered for the NEET, the undergraduate entrance exam for medical education, and 8.58 lakh candidates for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE (Main)), its equivalent for engineering. While the JEE Main is scheduled between September 1-6, the NEET will be held on September 13.****
Despite student protests across the country, it seems unlikely now that the exams will be further delayed. The Ministry of Education (MoE) says they will go ahead with the exams on schedule; Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal stated that since 7.5 lakh JEE students have downloaded the admit cards, they must want the exams to be conducted. For NEET, over 10 lakh of 15.97 lakh have downloaded their admit cards in 24 hours. Students, meanwhile, say they have no choice but to download the cards, if the exams are to run.