The government's efforts to restore normalcy to the academic calendar after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the advancement of key exams, such as NEET-UG and JEE Main. While the government's intentions are understood and appreciated by some, many students and educators feel that the current batches of students are being made scapegoats in the quest to return to pre-pandemic schedules. Advancement of the exams has left students with little time for preparation and has also led to clashes with other practical and state board exams. Despite court refusals to postpone the exams, education activists have spoken out against the government's decision, stating that "setting the academic calendar right should not be at the cost of students.
How is that being done?
The NEET UG and JEE Main exams can be analysed to understand the effect of the pandemic on the academic cycle and how the government is trying to bring things back on track. Here's how it worked out:
In 2019, NEET UG was held on May 5th, but the following year the exam was delayed due to the pandemic and ultimately held on September 13th. To return to a pre-pandemic schedule, the exam was advanced to July 17th 2022. This year, the NEET UG exam has been further advanced by a month and will take place on May 7th.
Likewise, the JEE Main exam has also been impacted by the pandemic. In 2019, the first session was held between January 6-20, with the second session taking place between April 7-21. However, in 2020, the second session was delayed due to COVID and eventually held between September 1-6. In 2021, in response to the academic loss caused by the pandemic, the government introduced four sessions for JEE Main instead of the typical two. The exams were held in February, March, July, and September. Last year, the attempts were again limited to two. JEE Main Session I was held from June 23-29 while Session II was held from July 25-30. In 2023, the exam has been advanced, to be held between January 24-31, while Session II will be conducted between April 6-12.
Why is advancement an issue?
Students complain that advancement has left them little time for preparation and also brought the entrance exams close to clashing with some practical and state board exams, as the school calendars are still running somewhat late. Unhappy, several of them approached the court asking for postponements, but the court refused to interfere with the government's decision. "Setting the academic calendar right should not be at the cost of students," says Advocate and education activist Anubha Sahai.
On the other hand, educators feel that it was a necessary step, though they admit students, as well as teachers, have faced the brunt. "When JEE Main was announced in January, teachers also felt the pressure," says Yasasvi Santosh, Director of Spark Academy.
He adds that the government has taken a step in the right direction, even if the students' concerns are genuine. "It is unfortunate for the current batch, but the change had to be introduced at some point in time. Even if students are unable to do well in Session I, they have another attempt at JEE Main in April," Santosh said further.
Anubha, however, disagrees. "Every attempt is a golden opportunity. Students will lose a chance at a tough exam like JEE which is unfair," she says. Nonetheless, the experts think that the situation would have turned out better had the government informed about the early exam in advance. "Students prepare for multiple exams at once and plan their preparation ahead of time. Decisions like this only bring more pressure on them," Anubha says.
She added that the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) exam should be studied as an ideal example. Generally, CLAT is not conducted in December, but around June-July. Last year, CLAT 2023 was held in advance in December 2022. "Nobody complained because it was announced well in advance. So, students could prepare for it on time," the Advocate-activist stated.
Emotional stress
The no-time-left-for-preparation factor aside, there is the emotional aspect to consider. Pradeep Rawat, President of Gurgaon Parents' Association, explains. Students who appear for the competitive exams are very young, aged 16-17. They have seen their families' hardships during the pandemic. Many of them lost near and dear ones. Moreover, there has been education loss which has led to confusion. "You cannot expect students to bounce back to normalcy. At least 2 years is needed for them to adjust," he says.
Rawat suggests that the government ought to have conducted a survey, taken parents' and students' opinions, and then introduced changes, or taken a decision based on the survey results. Meanwhile, career guidance expert and analyst, Jayprakash Gandhi, advocates for a national exam policy. "Why are students going to courts? It's because they weren't informed beforehand. Just like the National Education Policy, we have many times suggested the government to introduce a national exam policy, in which the calendar for all exams can be scheduled in advance and notified to the students," he says.
It is also very important that the NTA (National Testing Agency, which conducts several entrance tests), should coordinate with all the state boards, he adds. "When the subjects are the same and the academic year is the same, then why should the exams be on different days?" Gandhi questions. He suggests that to avoid clashes of dates, the NTA should hold an annual meeting with the state boards, CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and other such school education boards to decide common dates for exams of the same subject, and to schedule competitive entrance tests.
But, is only COVID-19 to blame?
The experts agree that the situation has been disruptive only after the pandemic. "Students asked for postponements before COVID as well, but they were for other reasons. Students had difficulty getting used to the new pattern of exams," Santosh explained. In 2019, AIPMT was replaced with NEET and two attempts were introduced for JEE, instead of one.
"Students were also given enough time to study before the pandemic, but it is not so now," Rawat added. Teachers, on the other hand, feel that as a result of the disruption in learning, students have lost focus in studying post-COVID. "Students are not very serious about entrance exams," said VBS, a teacher from Tamil Nadu.
After-effects of COVID
"They are spending more time on their phones and other devices. Online lessons are fine for understanding concepts, but their practical applications cannot be learnt online. Also, one-on-one interaction with the teachers and doubt-clearing is crucial," added Pratyus Acharya, a teacher from Odisha.
"What the government has done was necessary. Suppose the exams would have been postponed to June, students who will be promoted to Class XI this year will lose precious time," he said further. "The only problem with advancement is that if the students don't do well in April, they stand the risk of losing a year," added VBS.
