Alarmed at the violations of Covid-19 standard operating procedures on Wednesday at the JEE examination centres in Telangana, students and many others on Thursday took to Twitter and other social media platforms reiterating their demand for postponing the NEET 2020 exam scheduled for next week. Many also expressed horror and shared their own experiences at the exam centres.
It may be recalled Deccan Chronicle on Thursday, in its report 'Social distancing goes for a toss', reported on the violation of SOPs during the first two days of the JEE Mains in the state. On Thursday, the report went viral with more than 8,000 shares on Twitter. The account of '11 petitioners in Supreme Court for JEE NEET' also shared the DC report.
Students from across the country blamed the Union Education Minister for lying to the country in saying that the exams were being conducted smoothly, and now demand that after the failures of SOP guidelines during the JEE Mains Examination, NEET should be postponed so that no more lives are risked.
A Twitter user, Anupama Parmeshwaran wrote 'Absolutely worst conditions in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh....No sops are (being) followed, no gloves, no mask on teachers' face... No social distance(ing) and a heavy public (gathering)....worst condition..' Students from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, Patna also shared similar experiences of violation of social distancing norms and faltering at JEE centers.
Demanding postponement of NEET 2020, due next week, a student and Twitter user by the name of Neha Dwivedi said, 'We are 16 lakh aspirants and will take the exam in a single shift in a single day, with alteast 32 lakh parents and staff... it will lead to a disaster... please save us.'
Twitterati are now addressing their concerns to the President's office by sending emails and mentions on the social media platform, with the hashtag #JEEFailedPostponeNEET.
The Supreme Court is likely to hear the review plea on JEE/NEET today filed by the Chief Ministers of six opposition-ruled states- Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Maharashtra asking for a relook into their decision to hold exams even as COVID-19 cases are spiking everyday.
The NEET examinations scheduled on September 13 will see 16 lakh students nationally, appearing in a single shift for an offline OMC-type exam. In Telangana, 55800 students will sit for NEET at 112 centers, whereas in AP 61,892 students will take the exam at 151 centers next week.
