Why the Hurry to Conduct JEE-NEET?
For India, it is the season of examinations. The country has been reeling under an economic slowdown and the Coronavirus pandemic. During this time, the Centre has failed in all tests so much so that it is looking at God to resolve its problems. Despite being on the brink of helplessness and frustration, the Centre is being stubborn over conducting Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examinations for admission to engineering and medical colleges respectively. It is all set to conduct the examinations as though the country’s future is dependent on these examinations.
As the number of incidents of the Coronavirus is increasing alarmingly on a daily basis, students, parents, and leaders of several political parties all over the country are demanding that JEE, NEET, and other entrance examinations for professional courses be postponed. Regardless of the opposition, the Centre has taken a firm decision to conduct the JEE-NEET examinations. But, the campaign for postponing JEE-NEET for admission to medical colleges is gathering steam.
The concept of examination by itself creates a lot of stress. There is no doubt that conducting these examinations amidst so much of pressure can lead to disastrous consequences. Having spread fear among the people about the Coronavirus and having imposed a nation-wide lockdown for two months and thereby destroying the lives of people, it is ironical that the Centre is now treating the Coronavirus lightly and wants to conduct the examinations. The Centre does not seem to care about the impact that the conduct of such public examinations could have on the health of the students and has completely failed to address students concerns.
The likelihood of the Coronavirus infecting students who write the examinations for several hours sitting together in the same room is very high. The future of students would certainly be endangered if examinations on such a massive scale are conducted in countries such as India that are struggling in the face of lack of adequate basic infrastructure to fight the pandemic. According to an estimate, close to 25 lakh students are expected to write the JEE-NEET examinations. It is possible that these students can get infected during the examinations. Even if these students are asymptomatic, the infection could spread through them to their parents and their grand parents and the impact of such a spread cannot even be imagined. The Centre that has failed completely to tackle the spread of the virus will, by conducting the examinations, only be creating a way to increase the number of the infected.
Besides, the transportation facilities all over the country have been skeletal after Covid-19 and this could create problems for students who have to reach the examination centres in time. Also, questions arise over how far the government can succeed in implementing its decision to establish isolation wards in all examination centres for students who are symptomatic. Moreover, forcing symptomatic students to travel outside their homes is like inviting them to get infected. Amidst such an imminent health threat and the high level of anxieties, the Narendra Modi government has stuck to its decision to conduct these examinations. The Supreme Court has also justified the Centre’s stand by stating that students would be losing out a precious year if the examinations are to be postponed.
The decision of the Centre to conduct the examinations by completely ignoring the concerns of students and parents is diametrically opposite to its stand of imposing a nation-wide lockdown in March. The Modi government had imposed on March 24 a nation-wide lockdown to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. The lockdown was so stringent that the transportation facilities all over the country came to a complete standstill and lakhs of migrant workers lost their jobs, hunger and poverty staring at them. The police went to the extent of wielding their lathis on people who ventured out to buy food and other essentials. In the absence of any alternative, many migrants left on foot to reach their villages hundreds of miles away. The situation became so grave that hundreds of people lost their lives due to the lockdown. In a hurry to reach their villages, many migrants lost their lives en route because of sheer exhaustion, hunger, and health problems. Several others lost their lives in accidents. People are now wondering why the Centre is so stubborn in conducting these examinations in this background and when it had imposed a lockdown across the country to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the first place.
In the midst of the pandemic, parliament sessions are taking place in various countries. But, in India, there is a reluctance to convene parliament. The Centre is hesitating to gather MPs who number a few hundreds and conduct proceedings. It is possible for the government to ensure the safety of the members of parliament during the session as their number is small, but the government is not ready to take any risk in the case of MPs. With this being the case, the government should answer the question as to how far the government can succeed in protecting lakhs of students who will appear for the JEE-NEET examinations. Politicians who take so much care about their health should adopt the same attitude towards the youth of the country. The Centre should immediately heed the demand of the youth.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
