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| Putting off the university exams could jeopardise academic session | | | VS Pandey
There is a clamour to postpone all exams including the JEE and NEET exams which are essential to ensure merit-based admissions in engineering and medical institutions across the country. For several days, various newspapers, TV channels and the digital media have been reporting arguments to postpone these exams. A few days back, chief ministers of several opposition-ruled states joined hands to demand the postponement of the JEE and NEET examinations and decided that they will jointly approach the Supreme Court in this regard. Those who want the exams postponed argue that in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, holding the exams will adversely affect the health of students and will increase the spread of the virus. They also argue that the restrictions on public transport due to coronavirus would make it difficult for many aspirants to reach the examination centers. Their demand is to defer the exams till at least November by when the virus situation is hoped to improve.
The issue of postponement of exams was agitated before the Supreme Court also, which after hearing all the interested parties, declined to intervene in the matter and ordered that these exams be conducted as per schedule. The government was also directed to take all necessary precautions for the safe conduct of these exams. The Supreme Court, in another matter on Friday, decided that universities must go through with the examinations of final-year students and gave the freedom to universities to devise the schedule as per their convenience. Now, various opposition-ruled states have filed review petitions before the Supreme Court for postponement of the JEE and NEET exams.
There is no doubt that these are extraordinary times and fear of coronavirus is looming large everywhere. At present, India is reporting the highest numbers of daily coronavirus infections in the world and the number of deaths occurring every day due to the virus is also the highest. So the arguments advanced by groups pushing for postponement of the exams have some merits. But if we look from the other side, the arguments advanced by the government also look weighty. These exams have been postponed twice earlier due to the same reasons. Time has now come to take a final call on holding these exams as any further delay may result in completely disrupting the current academic session for lakhs of students.
The biggest fallacy of the arguments advanced by those demanding the postponement of the exams is that by November, things are likely to improve on the coronavirus front. We may recall that many experts had opined that virus infection numbers would peak sometime in July or August. We are nearing the end of August and so far, we do not seem to have succeeded in reversing the corona curve. Who can predict that our country will become safe to conduct these exams in November? And if we fail to conduct these exams, then? Surely then the whole academic session will be jeopardised as there will hardly be sufficient time left to complete the academic session.
The government of the day has the responsibility to weigh the pros and cons of the issue, see the problem in a holistic manner and take a call in the wider interest of the students and the country. The government has the primary responsibility to not only ensure the conduct of these exams but also the smooth running of educational institutions as well as the health and safety of all those who are going to appear in these exams and to further see that these exams do not in any way result in the further spread of the virus. There is no doubt that only the students are going to be the losers in case of curtailment or zero academic session. Keeping in mind all these factors , the government has to ensure that the exams are conducted in a fully-secure environment with no danger to the health of students and others.
Almost six months into the pandemic, the country has learned to live with the virus.
During the past few months, most economic activities barring the tourism industry, cinema halls etc. have been opened with some restrictions. Similarly, trains, buses, taxis, and other modes of travel have been allowed. Factories , shops , industrial units, offices have started functioning after following standard operating procedures. It is now confirmed by experts that wearing masks in public places is the surest way of avoiding getting infected, in addition to using sanitizers and maintaining physical distancing. The government has to ensure that all the students and organizers observe these precautions scrupulously.
Let us remember that across the world, people have devised their own indigenous solutions for carrying on their activities in all walks of life, so we should also. As our Supreme court has rightly opined that the country has to carry on despite the pandemic and hence these exams. The time has come to move forward, in the larger interest of our nation, rising above narrow political gimmicks. “Jaan hai to jahan hai “ is an old saying , we have to ensure “Jaan bhi jahaan bhi”
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