The demand for postponing the GATE 2022 examination is rising with every passing day. And so are the daily number of COVID-19 infections in the country. As per the existing schedule, the Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) 2022 is all set to be conducted on February 05, 06, 12, and 13, 2022. The exam is planned on being conducted at selected centers across the country, through the computer-based format. However, the country is witnessing an exponential increase in cases. Even the Omicron variant is spreading at a fast pace. To curb the spread, several states are imposing restrictions and night curfews.
Against this backdrop, GATE 2022 candidates are incessantly demanding the postponement of the PG-level entrance exam. For the past few days, candidates have been incessantly expressing their demands on the popular micro-blogging platform i.e., Twitter. However, amid such uncertain and troubling circumstances, a silver lining does exist.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, the conducting body of GATE 2022, has not yet released the admit cards on the official website gate.iitkgp.ac.in. As per the existing schedule, admit cards were to be issued through the online mode on January 03, 2022. However, the schedule has now been updated. In fact, the official website states “To be announced” next to the hall ticket release date. Candidates are considering this to be a sign of exams getting postponed.
Coming to the demand for postponement of GATE 2022, there are mixed opinions being expressed via Twitter, under the hashtags #postponegate2022 and #Gate2022. While the first set of opinions demands the postponement of the exam in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the other set of candidates just wants the uncertainty to end.
The former set of candidates also expressed concern regarding their preparation. In view of the impending third wave, several GATE 2022 candidates are likely to get infected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to health conditions, they will not be able to appear for the exam, shedding water on months of hard work of preparation. So, it is pertinent for IIT Kharagpur to reschedule the exam to a later stage when the situation has stabilized.
The latter half is troubled by the uncertainty surrounding the GATE 2022 examination. They are questioning why IIT Kharagpur has postponed the release of admit cards. Candidates want the institute to provide reasoning as soon as possible. If indeed, the exam has gotten postponed, the same must be announced as soon as possible rather than dwelling in the suspense for long.
