People In Pandemic: The 2020 NEET And JEE Saga
Covid19 has had an alarming impact on students. With schools and colleges shut, a worldwide health emergency, and uncertainty in the atmosphere, it was a difficult time to even think about the next step forward. Coronavirus outbreak in India was at the peak of the academic year, a time when most students give their final exams, board exams, and of course entrance exams for colleges.
The NEET ( National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and JEE (Joint entrance exams), conducted every year in April-May are some of the most important National exams for aspirants and decide the fate of millions in India. With the Lockdown due to Covid19, these exams were postponed twice and were finally conducted in September.
What is important to know here is the fact that while the total number of active Covid19 cases in April-May was around 700–1200 , the number of active cases had spiked to more than 90,000 in September. But of course, it wouldn’t have been right to conduct national exams in April because India was just hit by the virus causing anxiety and panic across the country. However, was it justified to postpone the exams twice and finally compel students to sit for exams in these uncertain times?
There are several integral questions to be addressed even today. Was it necessary to risk the lives of millions of students? Amidst a Pandemic, were the students in a stable mindset to sit for an exam that decides their future? Were the students able to do their best? The exams have been conducted, but the journey has not been so pleasant and satisfying for these students.
NEET and JEE exams are extremely demanding and several students sacrifice a lot of things for the preparation of these significant exams.
“For two years almost every NEET and JEE aspirant have been through hell without enough sleep, without any social life or interacting with friends outside and without spending time with parents”-Ritu S Kashyap [NEET Aspirant]
It is extremely strenuous to crack these exams and students often leave the comfort of their houses and go to coaching Institutes to prepare for these competitive exams. But when the lockdown started, all these students returned to their houses. The months that followed were nothing less than a roller coaster ride.
Uncertainty was everywhere during the lockdown, but for the students, each day that passed for the next six months had a daily dose of uncertainty. While the exams were getting postponed repeatedly, students were struggling to find updates related to this matter on various social media platforms. On the other hand, they also had the challenge to prepare efficiently for exams with no idea about when it is supposed to take place.
There was a YouTube live conducted by Sri Ramesh Pokhriyal, minister of Education with PV Sindhu, Indian Badminton Player in July and several students were watching this in the hope that their queries will be answered or at least there will be some kind of discussion or deliberation with respect to the exams. On the contrary, the whole live video was a discussion on sports, and even with several requests from students in the live chat to start a discussion on exams, there was no appropriate response to this matter by the minister.
“We should have been informed that this live video was not related to the exams, then we wouldn’t have wasted that time, because one and a half hours is a whole lot of precious time. We all kept waiting for news and updates about ten times a day and I think there should have been a clear picture of what is going to happen”-Disha Bhat A [NEET Aspirant]
A lot of students also claim that the constant postponement of the exams had made them redundant towards the exams. It was the same thing they had been preparing for two years and was close to impossible to stretch that attitude and concentration towards the exams for another six months.
A very well known Initiative by India’s National testing Agency was the NTA Abhyas App to give computer-based mock test for the NEET and JEE for free. While the app sounds like a great way for students to get exposure to these tests, some students found the App demotivating due to the level of difficulty and the papers in the app were very different from the papers which the students actually wrote.
The date of the exams was finally announced and the exams were to be conducted in the month of September. While some students took to the streets to protest against the announcement of conducting the exams, some students didn’t step out to write other competitive exams like CET in the fear of the virus and they were keener on writing the NEET exams.
“I think our safety measures kept diluting but the cases were increasing and we were very conscious about catching Covid19 during that time”-Ritu S Kashyap [NEET Aspirant]
This matter is of great significance till date, so it is important to understand the role of the Media in this case. Well, for starters an issue like this needed a great amount of coverage and there was a need for several discussions and deliberations by the media. However, the reality was quite the contrary. Students claim they completely relied on YouTube, Twitter, and other social media platforms for both news, updates and to voice their concerns because it was close to impossible to even find a debate regarding this issue in the mainstream media.
“Only few Journalists were keen to take up this issue and the mainstream media didn't seem to look into this matter”-Ann Maria Joy[NEET Aspirants]
“I think after a certain point of time the issue was very politicized and after that point, I think it did not help anyone”-Shreya Bhatt[JEE Aspirant]
So, what could have been done differently? While some students feel that nothing could have been done differently, others feel that it was unethical to conduct exams in the middle of a pandemic. Who better to tell this than the students themselves:
“I think the first time the government shifted the exams it was fine because there was anxiety among people, but after that, there was no point in postponing because in the end, they had to do it and it was not like the situation was getting any better”-Shreya Bhatt [JEE aspirant]
“The government could have come up with a better solution of conducting the exams properly before itself because many students keep telling that if the exams had been finished in July or in May, They could have performed better than what they did in the final exams.”-Disha Bhat A
“The uncertainty factor is something that no one can tackle. In this pandemic situation with increasing number of cases it was not possible to fix a perfect date. I really don't know what could have been done differently but the student’s concerns could have been addressed in an efficient manner”-Ann Maria Joy[NEET Aspirant]
Even after understanding the various views which students have, it is not possible to say what could have been done differently but it is surely understood what the students had to go through in the past few months. It is not even possible to think about other students who had gone through several other disasters like the Assam Flood or even the cyclone Amphan or even lost a family member and still had to sit for the National exams. Additionally, there might be several students who had to miss these exams due to emergencies and contingencies and put their career and life on hold for a whole year.
There lies no possible explanation for these unfortunate times, however, it is necessary for each one of us to understand each other’s situation and do the best that we can to help one another.
