Why the JEE and NEET exams should be postponed

As India is nearing 80,000 cases a day, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has refused to postpone the IIT JEE and NEET exams. much to the chagrin of all the 2020 exam-takers. Measures are being taken to reduce the number of students per test as well as increase the number of testing centers, but despite that they aren’t taking into account the mental health of the students who have spent almost 5 months in confusion. Over 8.67 lakh students will be forced to leave their house and go to test centers to appear for probably one of the most important exams of their lives in spite of being in a pandemic with the added danger of putting themselves or a loved one in harm. The NTA proceeded to say that there was no justification for the exams to be postponed and an entire academic year couldn’t be wasted. This immense pressure that the Indian Education System instills in students right from elementary school up to college, putting marks before health, and barely regarding their needs, is something that needs to be addressed. When the ICSE and ISC exams were temporarily postponed in March, the council not only took several months to respond clearly, but they also made students spend months unnecessarily stressing about their results and exams. This lack of empathy towards the students and their families is something that destroys students’ morale and leaves them feeling like just another serial number in a country that doesn’t care about their wellbeing. Greta Thunberg recently also spoke up against the JEE and NEET exams being held and was widely supported by students around India and around the world who have been actively protesting against this injustice.