NEW DELHI: Turning down Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's proposal, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has decided to go ahead with JEE (Mains) and NEET exams in the national capital as per schedule, sources confirmed on Saturday.
Students, activists and opposition parties have been demanding that NEET and JEET be deferred in the view of the surge in COVID-19 cases. The central government, however, has made it clear that both the nationwide exams will be held as scheduled with due precautions.
Earlier this week, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had written a letter to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal appealing him to either postpone or come up with an alternative for the examinations, which are scheduled to begin on September 1.
According to sources, Delhi’s Revenue Minister had also sent a file with the same proposal to Baijal -- who heads the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
“The decision of chief minister was overturned by the LG and the permission to hold examinations as per schedule was given” informed the official.
In his letter, Sisodia who is also the education minister of Delhi wrote that while students are being told that safety precautions will be followed in the examination centres, it is not enough to assure them or keep Covid-19 at bay. Sisodia said that calling 28 lakh students to write these exams would be willfully playing with the lives of the children.