Sources say the bench in Supreme Court hearing the plea related to NEET and JEE Mains 2020 said postponement of the exams will put the future of the students in peril.

What does this say? This only means NEET and JEE Mains 2020 will be held as per the earlier planned schedule. Sources say that both the popular exams will be held adhering to more precautions.

It is divided between the groups that want NEET and JEE Mains 2020 to be conducted and not to be held. This year has not been a smooth sailing for the education sector in India.

It all began with protests over Citizenship Amendment Act and ended with outbreak of corona virus, says T. Marimuthu, a veteran educationist.

CAA protests led to postponement of CBSE board exams for 10th and 12th standard. The outbreak led to halt of many other exams including that of graduate and post graduate examinations, he said.

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NEET and JEE Mains 2020 exams were also postponed. Though dates were announced for many exams at a later stage, they could not be conducted as lockdown left no room for it.

State boards and CBSE had to pass the students of 10th and 12th classes based on a different assessment system.

Amidst all this Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made an announcement with regards to dates of NEET and JEE Mains 2020.

Even notification issued by National Testing Agency (NTA) that conducts the exam mentioned these dates.
However this announcement did not go well with people, particularly those who felt atmosphere in the country was not safe for conducting the exam amidst the present outbreak of corona virus did not take the announcement of dates for NEET and JEE Mains 2020 with enthusiasm.

What would happen if exams are conducted right now? When the corona virus is yet to subside, will it be safe for students to come and write the exams, asks Manish Chandra, a final year post graduate history student.

Manish is perhaps among those who donot want the exams, but there are enough number of people who want NEET and JEE Mains 2020 exams to be conducted.

Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a maths teacher at an IIT coaching centre says postponing NEET and JEE Mains 2020 will only affect the forthcoming exams.

If these exams are postponed how then are we to decide the eligibility of these students to enter the abodes of higher learning? Asks Rajesh.

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Meanwhile couple of others have pointed towards KEAM exam. This exam was successfully conducted in Kerala recently, says M. Krishnamurthy, a physics teacher.

The same state could also conduct exams for 10th and 12th standard students successfully. If this can happen, then even NEET and JEE Mains 2020 can also be conducted successfully, he says.

Coming back to the courtroom, Justice Arun Mishra who was hearing the plea to postpone exams said there are already two petitions, while one seeks to conduct NEET and JEE Mains 2020 exams, the other seeks to cancel them.

Justice Mishra said the life has to move on even in COVID-19 times. Can we stop exams? He asked and said life has to move on.

He further said if exams are not held, will it not be a loss to the country? As students will lose the academic year.

On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who appeared for NTA said exams must be conducted and informed that more precautions will be taken.

Meanwhile, advocate Alakh said vaccine for COVID-19 could come soon, even Prime Minister said about this in his speech on 15 August. What we are seeking is a postponement for sometime.

The petition was dismissed saying that postponement of NEET and JEE Mains 2020 will put the future of students in peril.

JEE Mains is also written by plus-two to seek admission into graduate engineering courses in prestigious institutes like IIITs, NITs.

While NEET UG 2020 has received over 14 lakh applications, JEE Mains 2020 has received over 9 lakh applications.

This collaboration agreement seeks to capitalize on the strengths of both institutions, broadening the learning experience for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (BS) programs at IIT Madras and undergraduate programs at IIT Palakkad.

To date, over 30,000 students are actively participating in this program, fostering a vibrant and interactive learning community, say sources from IIT Palakkad.

Director of IIT Madras

Welcoming this collaboration, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said IIT Madras is committed to reach quality education to every deserving student in our country. This initiative with IIT Palakkad is a very significant step towards reaching the goals.

We are enthusiastic about mentoring these bright minds. Our courses and internships have a strong emphasis on hands-on learning and innovation, said director of IIT Palakkad.

This collaboration with IIT Madras will build a robust foundation that equips students with the skills, insights, and networks they need to excel, he said.

Key features

The key features of this collaboration include:

Ø Credit Transfer from IITPkd Courses: IIT Madras BS (Data Science and Applications) students who meet the eligibility criteria can fulfil their credit requirements by taking courses at IIT Palakkad, promoting an exchange of academic resources and expertise.

Ø Access to IIT Madras Courses for IIT Palakkad Students: The MoU allows undergraduate students at IIT Palakkad to enrol in courses on Data Science and Programming from the IIT Madras BS program, ensuring equitable access to these cutting-edge skills.

Ø Support for Additional Initiatives: The collaboration will also facilitate student exchange programs, internship opportunities, and other joint initiatives.

Commitment

This collaboration between IIT Madras and IITPkd highlights the commitment of both institutions to enrich student experiences through cross-disciplinary exposure, practical learning, and research opportunities.

It aims to create a robust academic ecosystem that utilizes the expertise and infrastructure of both IITs.

Collaboration

IIT Madras has been collaborating with other leading institutions in the country to provide in-person learning opportunities for final-year students in the BS program.

IIT Gandhinagar, IIIT Hyderabad, and Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) have already made their campus courses available to eligible students from the IIT Madras BS (Data Science) degree program.

About IIT Palakkad

Established in 2015, the Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad is dedicated to creating an environment that enables students and faculty to engage in the pursuit of knowledge, to dream, think, and innovate thereby becoming change agents for a better world.

Having begun with just 120 students in July 2015, IIT Palakkad has since grown into an establishment that is about a thousand students strong and with the best manpower in key positions.

IITPkd aims to become a multi-disciplinary institution with 5000 students by its 10th year. The Institute recognizes collective growth, in collaboration with industry and other academic institutions, as the need of the time and emphasizes blue-sky research and directed research as two essential pillars of technology development.

The Institute embraces a vision to be a leader in cross-disciplinary inquiries, and to contribute to the potential that India’s demographic dividend represents for the country and the world, which is embodied in the motto of the institute “Nurturing minds for a better world”.

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