NEET 2020 on September 13: Lessons NTA can learn from JEE Main, NCHM JEE

NEW DELHI: The commitment of National Testing Agency (NTA) towards conducting National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET - in September is evident. Despite major protests, court cases and resistance from several states, the authorities conducted major examinations like Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) Mains from September 1 to 6, 2020, and NCHMCT JEE on August 29.
Latest NEET News: Get live updates from NEET 2020 exam centres with student reactions

As announced NEET exam 2020 is scheduled to be conducted on September 13, in offline mode. There have been reports and social media posts by candidates who appeared for JEE Mains and NCHMCT JEE regarding failures in implementing the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). There were a significant number of test centres where the person-in-charge was unable to handle crowds or provide proper sanitization facilities.

Clearly, there is still room for improvement in the NTA's strategy and it must make them before NEET UG.

Failures noted at the examination centre

Among the failures noted by candidates, parents and authorities at the examination centres of exams conducted by NTA, was lax crowd management at some centres and failure of social distancing inside the exam hall -- students were reported roaming around without masks.

Plus, large numbers of students were not able to appear for the exam. A candidate who appeared for NCHMCT JEE 2020 at a centre in Gurgaon informed Careers360 that social distancing was not followed inside the examination centre. The candidates were roaming around freely and also, after the exam was concluded candidates came out of the centre in groups.

On the Youtube channel of Careers360 and various other social media platforms, similar violations were reported.

What NTA can do

Keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic, transport facilities for students should be arranged by the authorities. Some states did make arrangements but these were not centrally-organised or uniform. The pandemic has seriously disrupted public transport and other services in most of the country and some states are facing floods on top of that.

The NTA must also ensure that crowds outside exam centres are properly handled, especially after the exam was concluded. Strict action should be taken in order to ensure proper safety.

Parent bodies are also requesting authorities to increase the number of examination centres and deploy more number of persons as in-charge.

Temperature checks were not properly carried out for all candidates and masks were not provided at all the examination centres.

Steps taken by NTA

For now, the NTA has introduced a number of measures to ensure NEET 2020 goes smoothly and doesn't add to the spread of COVID-19. The number of NEET exam centres has been increased from 2,546 to 3,843. Masks and gloves will be provided inside the exam hall and a separate room will be available for COVID-19 positive candidates. The NTA NEET COVID-19 advisory which details the procedure of ensuring a safe and hygienic environment in and outside examination centres will guide local authorities and those in charge of centres.

Also read:

Live Updates: SC dismisses review petition on NEET, JEE Main decision
NEET 2020 admit card: COVID 19 instructions to keep in mind

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