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

Govt to take call on univ exams on July 2: Dy CM

Govt to take call on univ exams on July 2: Dy CM

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow: 30.06.2020

The Uttar Pradesh government will take the final call on whether to hold university exams or not even as a four-member committee appointed by it is learnt to have “strongly” recommended against holding exams due to Covid-19 outbreak.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, who also holds the education portfolio, said the final decision will be announced on July  2.

After a meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening, Sharma said, “The central government will issue guidelines by July 1. The UP government will follow these and announce its decision on July 2.”

However, sources said that the four-member committee headed by Meerut University vice-chancellor A K Taneja and comprising the vice-chancellors of three more state universities, has submitted its report recommending that exams should be cancelled as it is not possible to hold them amid the crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic.

If the government accepts the committee’s recommendation, then about 48 lakh students would be promoted as per an accepted formula.

Certain universities had started conducting exams before the nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 25 because of which all papers were postponed indefinitely.

After Unlock 1.0, some universities issued fresh date sheets, but the move was strongly opposed both by students and teachers. The government then set up the four-member committee on Saturday to recommend whether it would be possible to conduct exams or not.

SP students’ wing protests against LU exams on campus

SP students’ wing protests against LU exams on campus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow  30.06.2020

: A day after the call to boycott Lucknow University examinations trended on Twitter, a group of LU students associated with Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha on Monday protested on the campus against the varsity’s decision to conduct examinations from July 7 despite the spike in Covid-19 cases. The protesters sat outside the administrative block and raised slogans. Led by PhD scholar Anil Singh Master, the protesters said that conducting exams when the infection rate was at its peak would put students’ health in peril.

“Our health and lives are more important than examinations. How can a university, which fails to provide basic facilities like clean toilets and drinking water to students, be able to conduct examinations for 1.60 lakh students with just sanitizers and thermal scanners?” asked Master.

LU proctor Dinesh Kumar tried to persuade the students to withdraw the agitation but they did not relent. Later, police and PAC jawans took them to Police Lines and released them on personal bonds.

LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava said, “The government has formed a committee to take a call on examinations in universities. Hence, students should be patient.”

LU students protest on Monday

KTU relents, postpones exams

KTU relents, postpones exams

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram: 30.06.2020

Following widespread protests and requests from students, parents and political leaders, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University has decided to postpone all examinations scheduled to begin on July1.

The university authorities said the decision was taken following the complaints submitted by students, parents and student unions against the varsity’s decision to conduct the examinations during the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic. The BTech Hons examinations of KTU started on June 26 and the final-semester engineering examinations were supposed to start on July1.

The university, till a couple of days ago, had refused to entertain the demand for changing the date of examinations. Instead, the authorities claimed to have put in place all precautionary arrangements for conducting the examinations by adhering to Covid norms, including social distancing.

Those students who find it impossible to take the examination would be given another chance to attend it in October, it said. According to varsity authorities, the efforts to conduct the final-semester examinations braving all odds was taken in view of the placement offers a large number of students had received from employers through campusrecruitment drives. MP Shashi Tharoor was among those who appealed to the state government and universities to scarp their decision to conduct examinations. KTU vicechancellor M S Rajasree said the academic committee of the varsity would take further decisions on when to conduct the examinations.

CBSE extends deadline for affiliation application

CBSE extends deadline for affiliation application

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:30.06.2020

In view of the increasing Covid-19 cases in the country, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has extended the deadline for schools to apply for affiliation from the board for the 2020-21 session.

The new deadline up to which the schools can apply for affiliation without late fee is July 31.

Earlier, the deadline was June 30 and it is the third time CBSE has extended the deadline after the lockdown started.

The decision will be a relief for CBSE schools in the state which are facing financial hurdles due to lockdown.

The Kerala CBSE school management association and council for CBSE schools Kerala have been pushing the board for an extension in the deadline as it was difficult for the educational institutions to complete the formalities and paperwork regarding the affiliation.

Earlier, CBSE had fixed the deadline for applying as March 30, but after the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, the date was extended to April 30.

But then the national lockdown was extended to May 3 and school offices were not allowed to function in most states. Considering this and the uncertainty of further extension of lockdown, CBSE rescheduled the date to June 30 in April.

The new deadline up to which the schools can apply for affiliation without late fee is July 31

Maha launches ‘world’s largest plasma therapy trial for Covid’

Maha launches ‘world’s largest plasma therapy trial for Covid’

Mumbai:30.06.2020

CM Uddhav Thackeray on Monday launched Project Platina, which is being touted as the world’s largest convalescent plasma therapy trial, which will be used to treat critical Covid-19 patients across the state. The trial will be carried out in 21public medical colleges in the state and 13 plasma banks have been set up. A total of Rs 17 crore has been approved for this project from the CM’s relief fund, making it a government-sponsored trial without any private funding.

“Maharashtra is not lagging in trying any new medicine or treatment. We are not leaving any stone unturned. The first plasma therapy trial was conducted in the state in April and then we had sought permission from the Centre for the large-scale trial. I am proud that we could undertake such a large-scale trial,” said Thackeray. He requested people who successfully battled Covid to come forward and donate plasma to help others get better. TNN

Repatriation flight goes empty to China

Repatriation flight goes empty to China

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:30.06.2020

A Vande Bharat repatriation flight flew empty to Guangzhou after two Indians who had flown to China in an earlier flight tested positive for Covid-19. China was not keen to receive passengers from India as it looks to check the spread of what's effectively the second wave of the novel coronavirus spread in that country.

Official sources here said that it was mutually agreed that the aircraft will not take passengers from here. "This was predecided and the passengers were informed by the Indian authorities well in advance," a source here said.

The passengers included family members of some Indian diplomats. The flight later returned with about 80 Indians from Guangzhou.

An earlier repatriation flight to Shanghai from India had two passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 on their arrival.