Shiksha Opinion Poll: NEET 2020/JEE Main in September, Mass Opinion is Postponement

The opinion of masses can best be represented by a random survey designed to address a specific issue. One such survey was conducted by Shiksha.com on JEE/NEET 2020 exam dates. Read on to know more.

Even after the admit cards for NEET/JEE Main were released, students continued to protest against the exam dates. On one hand, the National Testing Agency (NTA) claimed that most students want to appear for the entrance tests as they have downloaded the admit cards. On the other, students burnt their admit cards as a sign of protest against the current exam dates of NEET/JEE. In an attempt to give a clear picture to all those in question, Shiksha.com conducted a detailed survey.

They survey was live for about 24 hours, during which nearly 1400 students submitted their responses. The opinion poll was not limited to the standard question of whether or not students want postponement of JEE Main/NEET 2020 exam dates, but targeted an in-depth analysis of what exactly the student community demands. Read on to know what is the popular opinion on JEE/NEET 2020 dates.

Also Read: NEET 2020 exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines 

NEET 2020/JEE Main Exam Dates Opinion Poll

Which exam are you appearing for?

Out of the 1,334 responses, 702 candidates are appearing for NEET 2020. The remaining 632 candidates have applied for JEE Main 2020.

Do you want the examination to be postponed?

The options for this question were simple, candidates had to simply choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to answer. Out of the total 1,330 responses for this question, 1,079 replied in ‘yes’. This implies that almost 81 per cent of the candidates who took the poll want NEET 2020 and JEE Main to be postponed.

Also Read: NEET 2020/JEE Main Postponement: Students Protest by Burning their Admit Cards

Do you support the cancellation of JEE Main 2020/NEET 2020?

For this question, students had to choose any of the following options, Yes, no or maybe. Out of the 1,331 responses received for this question, 671 chose ‘No’. Another 191 chose ‘maybe’. This indicates that a large majority of students do not want the examinations to be cancelled. If we remove those who want JEE Main/NEET 2020 to be conducted on the scheduled dates, yet nearly 45 per cent of the students who wish to postpone the examination, do not support cancellation. They understand the importance of these entrance tests and merely want to delay the examination until a favourable time.

Why do you feel this way about JEE Main 2020/NEET 2020?

This part of the poll contains individual opinions of the students regarding the exam dates of JEE Main 2020/NEET 2020. Since the opinion is divided, we have picked a few comments from the students supporting the current exam dates and a few from those who want postponement. These comments will help one understand the reasons behind the divided opinion.

Candidates who want the examination to be conducted in September

Supriya, Madhya Pradesh “Safety measures are being taken and I think that's enough”.

Ramanand, Kerala “It will be next year if we postponed the exam till normalcy gains. If cancellation occurs it will more disastrous than getting affected by COVID.”

Lalit, Madhya Pradesh “Delay of exam increases mental pressure. Even after postponement, the cases will go on rising and there is no chance of vaccine right now. So I think the exam should be held in September”

Amaan Malik, parent of JEE aspirant “Students are under pressure and worried about their future. If you conduct this exam on the scheduled time, they will be relieved.”

Anonymous from Coimbatore “Because there are many droppers & they are waiting for the exam, if it is cancelled they will have to wait for another one year & what about their future? At the same time, there is risk in conducting the exams, concerns about the students’ health. So, what can we do? We have to adjust to the situation by maintaining the social distancing, by wearing mask, by wearing gloves and being safe.”

Candidates who support the postponement of the exams

Vanshaj “I am afraid for my family and also this condition of stress is not ideal for a competitive exam”

Ketaki, Maharashtra “I have people belonging to high-risk groups in my family and no way would I want to cause any harm to anyone around me. Also, JEE mains is not my last examination, if I catch the virus, I might not be able to give other exams like BITS or advanced”

Anonymous “We lack the infrastructure to conduct such a large scale exam while following all the SOPs.”

Satyam, Maharashtra “Major issue is COVID-19, also my centre is 150km+ away from home, transportation issue.”

Shubajit, Meghalaya “I feel this way because my life is in danger, I feel this way because I don't want anything to happen to my family, I feel this way because I am a human who have worries for their family and others too. If HRD minister's kid was giving exam this year he would've postponed it and you can't deny this, you know he would've done that. It's just easy for you people to declare exams but try going to the centre and writing the exam during a global pandemic. On one hand, not more than 50 people are allowed in a wedding and on the other, people are conducting exams where lakhs and lakhs of students are going to gather. I doubt you can take the necessary preventions with these many students. You don't realise, students maybe 20% of the population but they are 100% of the future”

Were you allotted the desired exam centre by NTA?

Here again, students had to choose yes or no, any of the two options. While NTA claims that almost all candidates have been allotted the desired exam centre, the opinion poll suggests that nearly 30 per cent of those who took the poll did not get the desired exam centre. Out of the total responses received for this question, 405 students did not get the desired exam centre.

NTA has assured that the examinations will be conducted with due precautions in place, what is your take on this?

Here again, we found mixed opinions from the students appearing for NEET 2020/JEE Main. Students have cited examples of other examinations, such as COMEDK and GUJCET, stating that their SOPs failed on the exam day. Many students have also expressed that SOPs are not followed by many students at the exam centres, not everyone is careful.

Anonymous “Crowds do not follow social distancing. Masks are only preventive when they're put ON. Most people remove masks in public. We should wait out for the pandemic to weaken further.”

Rajan, Kerala “There have been cases of SOP's failing before, and this will happen again, on a much larger scale. Though this can't really be blamed on the organisers”

Are you otherwise prepared for NEET 2020/JEE Main?

A total of 632 students responded with ‘yes’. This comes to nearly 58 per cent of the total responses received for this question. This clearly indicates that a majority of the students appearing for NEET 2020/JEE Main are prepared for the examination. They are stressed and demotivated, but they are confident about their preparation.

Will you be ok if the examination is conducted in December?
Many students indicted in the previous questions that were comfortable with the exam dates being postponed to December. This question was later added to the poll to get the opinion of all the students about NEET/JEE in December. Nearly 79 per cent of the students who answered this question were comfortable with appearing for the examinations in December.

If the number of cases remain the same in December, what then?

This question was added to further analyse the thought behind students wanting the examination to be conducted in December. Many students wrote their opinion on this, a few of which have been given below:

Venkata, Andhra Pradesh “By December I guess I can find a way for transportation and hopefully we can get a vaccine.”

Alpana, Uttar Pradesh “That's why I want that exams should be conducted in September.”

Shashwitha, Telangana “I will abide by the decision of NTA.”

Prasanth, Maharashtra “Many countries are on the verge to complete vaccine.”

Anonymous “It will be bad but they can do something for it by increasing the centres in the states where centres are very less. So that they can reduce the chances of spreading COVID.”

Also Read: NEET 2020 Admit Card Released at ntaneet.nic.in, Students Continue Protests Over Exam Dates

Summary

The opinion poll clearly indicates that a majority of NEET 2020/JEE Main aspirants want postponement of the exam dates. However, they only want to postpone the examination until December/January hoping that the country will have a vaccine for COVID-19 by then. These may or may not be realistic expectations. However, the public-transport facilities are expected to revive by then. Also, the areas affected by floods/landslides will get some relief.

The students, however, do not wish for the examinations to be cancelled. Admitting students to the prestigious institutions of India, such as IIT and AIIMS, on the basis of Class 12 marks will not be fair to the students have worked for years to get that perfect score in the national-level entrance tests. The decision is now pending with the government, verdict expected to be announced soon.

Read More:

• NEET 2020 Exam Centres Increased to 3,843, Number of registered candidates 15,97,433: NTA Statistics
• JEE Main 2020 admit card released, click here to download
• NEET 2020/JEE Main will not be postponed: NTA