Education Minister of India, Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ took to twitter yesterday, announcing that he shall be conducting a high-level meeting with education ministers of respective states, their education secretaries, and chairpersons of various state examination boards. Moreover, stakeholders shall also be present at this meeting organised to discuss alternatives for conducting the Class 12 board exams as well as various national-level entrance exams pertaining to different fields. Thus, decisions taken tomorrow shall not only affect Class 12 students but also those who are appearing for entrance exams like JEE, NEET, UPCET, etc.
The second wave of coronavirus has created a havoc in the country, compelling various central and state-level boards to postpone the Class 12 board exams. Furthermore, National Testing Agency (NTA) and other testing institutions were also forced to postpone their entrance exams due to the rising COVID-19 cases.
The postponement of Class 12 board exams has impacted the various state and national-level entrance exams. Hence, to reduce the uncertainty among students, proposals and opinions of state and UT authorities must also be considered. Keeping this thought in mind, a meeting has been summoned by Mr. Pokhriyal.
NTA conducts a variety of national- and state-level entrance exams in the country including NEET-UG, JEE Main, UPCET, NCHM JEE and along with admission tests to various universities. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NTA was forced to either postpone or conduct these exams at a later date. The postponement of Class 12 exams shall invariably affect the admission process for these courses. Moreover, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Education department is yet to provide any tentative scheduled for conduction of Class 12 board exams for the current academic year.
NEET UG is usually conducted in the month of May every year. However, this year, it is scheduled on August 01, 2021. However, NTA is yet to release the application forms or the information bulletin for the national-level medical entrance test. Hence, there are speculations looming around that NEET 2021 may get postponed further if the situation does not normalise.
JEE Main 2021 was to be conducted four times this year in the months of February, March, April and May 2021. While the first two sessions have been conducted successfully, NTA has postponed the remaining two sessions to a later date in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. However, it is expected that the revised scheduled for April and May 2021 sessions shall be decided based on the scheduled for Class 12 board exams. This is to avoid any clashing between the two exams.
UPCET 2021 was scheduled to be conducted on June 15, 2021. However, NTA issued a public notice on May 08, 2021, announcing the postponement of the examination to a later date. Furthermore, the registration deadline for the exam has been extended to May 31, 2021.
Additionally, NTA was to conduct the NCHM JEE 2021 examination on June 12, 2021. However, the exam has been postponed and the same was announced through a public notice issued on May 04, 2021. The revised schedule shall be notified in due course of time.
