The NEET-UG 2021 will not be postponed: Education ministry
A section of NEET-UG 2021 aspirants have been demanding the postponement of the exams due to the lack of preparation gaps between various exams. Since the Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test of Andhra Pradesh has been scheduled on September 3, 6, and 7, CBSE had announced that it would conduct its chemistry exam on September 6th while its physics exam will be conducted on September 9.
Meanwhile, September 7th to 9th is reserved for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination. The MP Board is conducting their physics and biology exams on September 11 and 13. CBSE's mathematics exam is also conducted on September 13 with COMEDK to be held on September 14.
Although there is no tough clash of dates with the NEET-UG 2021 (that was to be held on 12th September) with any other exams, aspirants however are tweeting #PostponeNEET and #delayNEETUG and asking for a new date for NEET-UG 2021 exams saying that there is no time to prepare in between the different exams as they require more time for preparation because of the new exam pattern.
Since, NEET-UG has already been postponed once, from August 1 to September 12th. According to a ministry of education senior official, there will be no change in the date of the NEET-2021 exams. He quoted, “NEET-UG is an exam holding high stakes and it involves logistics of a large scale. Security is another paramount issue. Above all, this is a single-day exam, and therefore the number of preparation days given by the NTA takes close to 90 days for preparation.
The earlier date has been shifted to September and was announced well in advance. Any further change in date will mean another at least 60 days of preparation. Moreover, given the unprecedented situation, this is the best time for conducting the exams and also the admissions could be conducted without much delay”. After students demanded to postpone the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) exam, the National Testing Agency (NTA) stuck to the date of conduction of the NEET examination to be held on September 12, 2021, with no changes.
The education ministry official also added, “Due to the unpredictability of the national situations, any delay and subsequent unforeseen scenario may delay the exams indefinitely. According to the NTA sources, the students have been allotted their centers and allotments already, and the admit cards will be issued on 9th September.
Many thought that postponement was possible due to the mass request by medical aspirants but, the Ministry of Education has now clarified that it isn't possible to change the schedule as delaying the NEET-UG dates further after September 12 as it'll in it being pushed forward by at least 2 months due to many technical and logistical reasons. The main reason behind students urging for the postponement of the NEET-UG 2021 was that the exam date is close to Physics and maths CBSE 12th Board Exams 2021.
What do experts have to say?
Experts suggest that it is quite necessary to conduct the NEET-UG 2021 exam on the given date as there have already been enough delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the educational experts, the decision of the education ministry is correct as the exam should be conducted no later than September 12 to complete the admission cycle by December is also quite essential. While in the approach to the concerns of the CBSE exam dates clashing with the preparation days of the NEET exam, the students appearing for the CBSE exams are numerous, and therefore it should not be a blockage for a mass section of students.
NTA NEET-UG that was formerly supposed to be held on August 1 had already been postponed to the date that it will now be conducted, that is September 12. Dharmendra Pradhan (Education Minister) had said last month through his tweets, "The NEET-UG 2021 will be held on 12th September across the country following COVID-19 protocols. To ensure adherence to the guidelines of COVID-19 protocols, a face mask will be provided to all candidates at the centres. Firm and punctual time slots during entry and exit, contactless registration, proper sanitization, seating with social distancing, etc. will also be assured.
