Should the entrance examinations for educational institutions catering to key professional areas be postponed given the rising number of co...
Should the entrance examinations for educational institutions catering to key professional areas be postponed given the rising number of coronavirus cases in India? This question has gripped India as a public campaign rages to demand pushing back the Joint Entrance Examinations (for admission to engineering colleges) as well as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (for admissions to undergraduate medical courses).
The health risks of conducting mass public exams are obvious. With scores and sometimes hundreds of students sitting in one room for hours to take their tests, there would be a high probability of exposure to the virus. This takes special salience in India, given lack of proper infrastructure at the best of times.
Big risk
To add to this are the large numbers at play. Estimates place the total number of NEET and JEE candidates at close to 25 lakh. That isn’t all. If these students then take the infection back home to high-risk groups such as their grandparents, the number of Indians at risk from the infection from this decision could be much larger.
Also at play are logistical problems such as the lack of transport, which means students could face significant problems in even reaching their exam centres. In addition, can isolation wards for students who...
