There are over 28,000 MBBS aspirants this year from Assam (Representational)
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) admit cards for this year have been issued this afternoon triggering backlash among students across the country who demand the medical entrance examination be deferred.
In Assam, there are over 28,000 MBBS aspirants this year who are supposed to take the exam from 48 centres. Many of them are worried about movement in the crowded exam centres and also want the government to take post-exam measures so that the aspirants don't become carriers of the coronavirus. The NEET exam is to be held on September 13.
"I come from a rural area and I was doing well in my studies but due to the pandemic my private tutor stopped coming. This has impacted my NEET preparations and now there is risk of spread of the virus at exam centres. Lots of students will come from different districts and cities and so the government should postpone the exam for now," says Shahidul Islam from Barpeta, a NEET aspirant.
Tushar Sarma another aspirant from Guwahati says, "I am well prepared as six months is good enough (for preparations) but the pandemic and the lockdown has created a lot of negative impact on my mind and there is an environment of uncertainty of my future. And also post exam, the government has to be prepared."
"We would need more medical teams as we students will become silent carriers of the virus - we might infect our parents, grandparents and others who might have low immunity," he adds.
With concerns over social distancing during travelling to exam centres, another student, Trideep Das says, "I am worried about attending the exam as there will be crowds and how can I move in the crowd amid a pandemic?"
He further adds, "Then there are issues of transportation of students in rural and flood-hit areas. The government should have taken measures and increased the number of exam centres. They could have prepared for this in the lockdown."
Earlier, the Supreme Court on August 17 had dismissed a plea seeking postponement of NEET-undergraduate examinations amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying a precious year of students "cannot be wasted" and life has to go on. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had said the career of students "cannot be put under jeopardy for long".
Candidates who have applied for the NEET examination can now visit the official website on https://ntaneet.nic.in/ and download their admit card. In case candidates are unable to download the admit cards from the website, they should call on the mentioned helpline number between 10 am and 5 pm on working days.