Parents request NEET be held on July 26 as aspirants get antsy

Parents request NEET be held on July 26 as aspirants get antsy

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: 30.06.2020

With growing uncertainty about lockdown and their future, NEET and JEE aspirants in the city are extremely anxious. Many have been preparing for the entrance exams for two years to get a seat in a good medical or engineering college, and are now apprehensive about the indefinite delay. A group of parents wrote to the National Testing Agency (NTA) requesting NEET be conducted per the revised schedule, on July 26.

“The speculation over the further postponement of NEET has created panic among the students causing damage to their mental health. Students need a break from the pressure. There is no social interaction during the lockdown, and the delay in holding the exam is only leading to additional stress among aspirants. Exams can be conducted by making masks, gloves, and shields compulsory in the exam centres,” wrote the parents in the letter.

NEET aspirant Tanvi Kulkarni said they are running like marathoners with no finish line in sight. “The preparation is tough and the exam is highly competitive. We cannot afford to slip at this stage. But for two months now, we have been repeating and revising the same topics. What if monotony sets in? What if we go blank on the day of the exam?” She added, “Cancelling the exam is not a solution, as there is no parity in the way different boards evaluate students. Most students would want the pressure to end soon. But if there is a need, the government should postpone the exam and not cancel it,” said Tanvi.

An online petition signed by close to 40,000 people seeks postponement of both the nationallevel exams. “Writing exams in masks and gloves, and with the fear of Covid, could add to the stress. How can the government hold entrance exams when the whole country is dealing with a pandemic,” said a student.

Ruiee Kapoor, a parent representative who also wrote to the NTA, said the MHRD should come up with a solution soon, as students will lose hope and morale if it is delayed further. “Those who have been consistent in their studies from the beginning are going through a rough phase as many prepare with a target. It will be a great loss if these students break down towards the end,” said Kapoor. The JEE (Main) exams are scheduled to be held from July 18 to

23. While there have been speculations over the postponement of the exam, the MHRD is yet to officially take any decision.

We are marathoners with no finish line in sight... For two months now, we have been revising the same topics... Most students would want the pressure to end soon

Tanvi Kulkarni | NEET ASPIRANT