Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Joins Chorus To Postpone JEE And NEET Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

By EB Bureau On Aug 24, 2020

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee joined the chorus for postponement of JEE and NEET examinations which are scheduled for next month.

In a series of tweets, Mamata appealed to the Centre to put off the crucial entrance exams because of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

“In our last video conference with the Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodiJi, 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,” she tweeted.

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

She also appealed to the Centre to assess the risk and postpone the JEE and NEET examinations until the situation is conducive again.

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

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking the postponement of JEE (Main) 2020 and NEET (Undergraduate) examinations. On Friday, Education Ministry officials reiterated that the JEE (Main) and the NEET-UG will be conducted in September, as scheduled.

Students and parents continue to plead to the authorities to postpone the exams. Even politicians like Subramanian Swamy and Manish Sisodia have been vocal.

The JEE (Main) is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6, while JEE (Advanced) is be conducted on September 27. The JEE score is the basis for admission to premier engineering colleges in India.

NEET, the entry for admission into undergraduate medical courses, is scheduled to be held on September 13.