On Sunday, September 13, as many as 520 students from Ladakh appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate or NEET 2020. The undergraduate medical entrance exam was held for the first time in the Union Territory. This year, close to 16 lakh candidates have registered for the NEET exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) made elaborate arrangements to ensure the safety of candidates as the exam was held amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the data shared by Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank', close to 90 per cent students took NEET 2020 on Sunday.
"NTA informed me that around 85-90 per cent students appeared in NEET exam. I sincerely thank all chief ministers and NTA for proper arrangements made to facilitate student participation. NEET participation reflects the tenacity and grit of young," Mr Pokriyal said on social media.
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State governments have made necessary arrangements for the candidates. In Kolkata, metro services were resumed on September 13 to facilitate transportation for the NEET exam candidates. Punjab lifted the weekend lockdown in the state to help candidates reach examination venue without any difficulty.
The exam has been postponed twice due to the pandemic and the government decided to go ahead with it, despite opposition by a section, to mitigate any further academic loss.
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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has set in place strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) in view of the pandemic, including measures like reducing the number of candidates per room from the earlier 24 to 12. The NTA had also increased the number of centres from 2,546 in 2019 to 3,862 this year to ensure crowd management and staggered entry and exit protocols.
Unlike JEE Main, NEET is held as a pen and paper-based test. NEET result can be expected soon, as the exam has already been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
(With PTI inputs)
