“There is an immediate need to announce NEET exam dates as the medical aspirants across the nation are eagerly and anxiously waiting for a long time now,” said one of the NEET aspirants when asked about his well-being and preparation strategy. “How can we prepare when we have no idea about what's going to happen. We don't know if the NEET syllabus would remain the same, or if there would be any change in the examination pattern. It wouldn't be surprising if, at the last minute, we get informed of some major changes,” a student added.
As soon as information about the announcement of JEE Advanced dates was shared by the Ministry of Education, questions like ‘What about NEET dates?' started floating on Twitter timelines.
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While some requested Mr Pokhriyal to give clarity- “Sir please say something about NEET dates also, it is as important as that of JEE”, - others showed distress as they said, “It's too late already. You did not decide anything on NEET 2021 while JEE candidates are still heaving a sigh of relief. Please confirm the date and syllabus of NEET for this academic session.”
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As the online uproar has grown over the delay in announcement of NEET dates, many have been questioning the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' if only focusing on JEE Main, IIT eligibility criteria and JEE Advanced dates would solve the problem of ‘all the students of this nation'. “For the first time in the history, we will witness JEE Main being held in four sessions as well as the CBSE Board exams in the month of May, but what about those who have been waiting for atleast some sort of clarity on NEET examination.”
“During the pandemic, the nation asserted its need to have qualified and skilled doctors around. The educational institutions came forward with new techniques in order to train doctors as they are the ones who would help the nation when it hits the health crisis. But how can we be so careless and afford to let those ‘doctors in making' suffer from anxiety, depression, stress, mental illness.. to name a few.. just because we don't have enough time to consider the request of lakhs of students and chalk out a plan for their well-being,” said a Biology teacher who teaches Class 12 students.
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In India's brutally competitive examination culture, students focus on the exam preparation for years. “But, despite our best intentions to prepare students well, the pandemic had other plans,” said a teacher who runs a coaching centre in Bareilly for NEET aspirants.
Every time Education Minister's webinar is announced, more than half a million students from across India tune into a live address broadcasted simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter with the hope that this time they might get a clue on NEET dates. #EducationMinisterGoesLive is meant to address students' concerns about upcoming entrance examinations, which have been lying in uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“Students often spend most of their teenage years (from Classes 8 to 12) preparing to ‘crack' the NEET examination. Most enroll in coaching institutes at an early age with the hope that admission at a name-brand college as that of AIIMS will set them up for a successful career. However, this year, students launching campaigns demanding the exams be held twice on Indian social-media timelines are a regular sight. Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of all examinations, students are left with nothing but anxiety while struggling to understand the changes in examination pattern,” said Shikha Das, a KVS teacher.
