Postpone NEET 2020: Verdict Shiksha Opinion Poll

Rising number of COVID-19 cases and an exam centre flooded with students, both these are contrasting situations. Read what the students preparing for NEET 2020 are going through at the moment.

In the past few days, the number of COVID-19 cases in India has seen an exponential rise. The situation does not seem to get better any soon. Amid this, the fear among those who have to appear for the most important examination if their lives are at an all-time high. Twitter is trending with new hashtags, #postponeneet, #Healthoverexams, #studentslivesmatters and more.

To help understand the gravity of this situation, Shiksha.com conducted a small survey for NEET 2020 aspirants. This NEET 2020 opinion poll was live for about a week and received around 270 responses. The questions that were asked in this opinion poll were fairly simple and designed to understand the state of mind of the NEET UG aspirants.

NEET 2020 Opinion Poll: The Verdict

Question 1: Should NEET 2020 be conducted in July?

There is no doubt that the majority of the candidates want NEET 2020 to be postponed. A whopping 43 per cent voted in the favour of postponing the examination to ensure the safety of its test-takers. Another 29 per cent voters were of a mixed opinion but tilted towards postponing NEET 2020.

Since the COVID issue shows more progress, the exam can be postponed a little because the whole of 16 lakhs might be at a risk. And on the other side, it shouldn’t be cancelled too because we have a lot of hopes on the exam to choose our dream college.

Nine per cent voted in favour of the authorities and felt that maintaining the exam schedule was important. They feel that NEET 2020 must be conducted on the scheduled date, which is July 26. The remaining 19 per cent want the authorities to cancel NEET 2020 for this year.

Question 2: How has the deferment of NEET 2020 impacted you?

Candidates put in a lot of time and effort while preparing for this exam. NEET preparation demands dedicated studies for months. Thus, deferment of the exam date has impacted those preparing for this examination at various levels. 29 per cent of the voters feel that the additional months have been helpful in preparing for NEET 2020. Another 44 per cent could use some more time and are in favour of postponing NEET 2020 further. About 3 per cent feel that they did not need these additional months for completing their preparation.

Life is very important. We are the next generation, the hope for our country. We can write NEET tomorrow if not today, but we get this life once.

The remaining 24 per cent feel that the deferment has been demotivating and has affected their preparation adversely.

Question 3: Will you be comfortable in appearing for NEET 2020 in July?

This question was meant to understand whether the candidates are comfortable in going to the exam centres if it is conducted on the scheduled date. As expected, about 48 per cent voters are not comfortable with the exam being conducted on July 26. They want it to be postponed. 28 per cent voters feel that they can appear for the examination but they are worried about their health.

Safety is important, but so is our future. If the administration has doubled the number of centres, we may have less chances of getting infected. I feel it will be ok if the examination is conducted on July 26.

Another 10 per cent voted in favour of the exam being conducted on July 26 and feel that they can take the necessary precautions to avoid getting infected. A small yet significant 6 per cent have chosen to sit out this year despite filling the NEET 2020 application form. They feel that they can appear for the examination again, but cannot risk the safety of themselves or their families for this.

NEET 2020 Opinion Poll: Overall Perception

The opinion poll also had a column where students could express their concerns and write about their overall perception of this situation. We have picked a few comments that were shared by NEET 2020 aspirants which express what these young minds are going through. To maintain the anonymity of these students, we are not sharing their names.

Sir, I live in New Delhi. CM Arvind Kejriwal has predicted that around 26 July there will be close to 5 lakh COVID-9 cases in Delhi alone. This means that it is the peak of coronavirus. I strongly recommend that please postpone the exam. Otherwise, surely many parents will keep their children from appearing in this exam.

- A NEET aspirant

There were many other comments which indicate that the students preparing for NEET 2020 are worried about their safety. Not only are they worried about themselves, but they are also worried about infecting their families. How can we expect them to appear for an entrance examination under such immense pressure? NEET 2020 being such an important exam, one that will define the future of these candidates, how will they give their best on the exam day?

On the other hand, it is important that the examination is conducted. Admitting students on the basis of the marks secured in Class 12 will be unfair. Many NEET aspirants score less in Class 12 because they spend most of their time preparing for NEET. The criteria for admitting students cannot be changed last minute.

It is imperative to find a balance between these two situations. The authorities must consider postponing the examination for the sake of these students. If not, they should come up with an alternative way of conducting NEET 2020. An open book examination that students can take sitting at home, or conducting the examination in batches with multiple sets of question papers. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Such measures have become the need of the hour, considering that the future of all these students is at stake. 

Read More:

• NEET 2020: Will it be postponed again?
• NEET 2020: NTA cautions against fake news, exam to be held on July 26