Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday urged the Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to postpone the medical and engineering entrance examinations- Joint Entrance Examination (JEE ) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)- in view of the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Patnaik in a letter wrote Pokhriyal, “In view of the prevailing COVID pandemic situation in the country, it would be highly unsafe and perilous for the students to visit the test centres physically to appear in the tests.”
Besides, as frequent lockdown/shutdown are being enforced by the concerned district administrations due to sudden escalation of the COVID positive cases locally, the local transportation also gets disrupted, added Patnaik.
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However, there are several tribal pockets in Odisha which are very far away from the urban centres of Odisha. As a result of which the students from those areas may be deprived of appearing the tests due to long distance travelling issues.
In view of all the above problems, Patnaik requested Pokhriyal to postpone the ensuing JEE (Main) and NEET, 2020 examinations scheduled to be held in first week of September, 2020 for the safety and security of the students.
Patnaik also requested Pokhriyal to direct National Testing Agency (NTA) to hold these tests in all the 30 districts of Odisha so that the students reach test centres within 2-3 hours and return home the same day. In addition, this will also ensure maximum participation of the students in these tests.
Notably, NTA has scheduled to conduct the JEE (Main) and NEET, 2020 test for admission into the technical and medical courses September 1 to 6 and September 13 respectively. However, NTA has opened examination centres for the said tests in seven townships of the state only.
More than 50,000 students from Odisha are slated to appear in NEET and around 40,000 in the JEE (Main) examinations.
PNN