'Postpone JEE, NEET Entrance Exams Until Situation Is Conducive,' West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Urges Centre

JEE, NEET entrance exams: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee appeals to the Centre to assess the risk and postpone JEE, NEET entrance exams citing it is important to ensure a safe environment for students.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee. (File Photo/ PTI)

JEE, NEET entrance exams: In view of the country’s apex court paving the way to conduct JEE and NEET medical entrance exams as per the schedule and the government going ahead with the same, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has raised serious concerns about the examinations urging the Centre to postpone them until the situation is conducive. The JEE (Main) exam is scheduled to be held between September 1 and September 6 while JEE (Advanced) has been penciled in for September 27. NEET exam will be conducted on September 13. The chief minister took to social media and wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter, “In our last video conference with the Hon’ble PM Shri  @narendramodi Ji, I had been vocal against the UGC guidelines mandating completion of terminal examinations in Universities/Colleges by the end of September 2020, which had a huge potential to put student lives at risk. Now with the directive of  @EduMinOfIndia to conduct NEET, JEE 2020 in Sep, I would again appeal to the Centre to assess the risk and postpone these examinations until the situation is conducive again. It is our duty to ensure a safe environment for all our students.”

Now with the directive of @EduMinOfIndia to conduct NEET, JEE 2020 in Sep, I would again appeal to the Centre to assess the risk and postpone these examinations until the situation is conducive again. It is our duty to ensure a safe environment for all our students. (2/2)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 24, 2020

In our last video conference with the Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, I had been vocal against the UGC guidelines mandating completion of terminal examinations in Universities/Colleges by the end of September 2020, which had a huge potential to put student lives at risk. (1/2)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 24, 2020

Days after the Supreme Court said the JEE and NEET medical entrance exams would be held as per schedule, Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Education also confirmed last week that the NEET, JEE Main 2020 entrance examinations cannot be postponed. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by 11 students from different states seeking the postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations due to the rising Covid 19 cases in the country. The court has expressed that exams are important so that students don’t lose an academic year. The Supreme Court is likely to announce its final verdict on the petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines issued on July 6 exams before September 30 soon. In the last hearing held on August 18, the Supreme Court has reserved its judgment and had asked all the parties to file written submissions, if any, within a period of 3 days. This is now complete and it is expected that the court will now give its verdict. The case which has been going on since last month combines multiple pleas filed by different groups this includes petition by 31 students and Maharashtra's Yuva Sena. Students are seeking cancellation of the exams due to rise of Covid 19 cases or rescheduling it at a more suitable time.