#ModiJideferNEETUG: Why are medical aspirants making NEET-UG postponement hashtag trend?
What's the story
As the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the dates for the 2022 NEET-UG (scheduled for 17 July), aspirants from across the nation flooded Twitter with requests to delay the exam. #MODIJIdeferNEETUG trended on social media as candidates urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone the entrance exam date. But why are students requesting a postponement of the medical entrance exam? Here are the details.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG 2022) for medical students is one of the most important undergraduate entrance examinations. The medical entrance exam will follow an offline exam format, with students having three hours and 20 minutes to complete the test, which will comprise 200 multiple choice questions (MCQs). However, aspirants are seeking the deferment of the NEET-UG 2022 exam for several reasons.
Why?
Counseling ended in March, CBSE exam concluded on June 15
Students reappearing for NEET-UG claimed that the NEET-UG 2021 counseling ended in March, giving them only three months to revise the whole syllabus. Furthermore, aspirants taking the NEET-UG for the first time stated they will have a very limited window to focus solely on NEET-UG 2022 because the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 board examinations concluded only on Wednesday (June 15).
Reason
NEET-UG 2022 clashing with CUET 2022 and JEE sessions
The overlap between the NEET-UG and other national-level entrance exams is another concern for many NEET-UG aspirants. Students who are also applying for undergraduate courses through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) (first and second weeks of July) for central universities, JEE Main Session 2 (July 21), and NEET-UG 2022 exams may not have enough time to focus on the medical entrance exam.
Fact
Medical students urge to postpone NEET by 4-6 weeks
Medical aspirants contended that the upcoming academic session is set to begin only in February next year. Therefore, instead of reserving six months just for the counseling process, the NTA and concerned authorities should provide an additional 40 to 60 days to prepare for the exam, they said. Aspirants demanded the NEET-UG 2022 exam date be pushed by at least four to six weeks.
Context
10,000 students wrote to NTA, authorities have yet to respond
Candidates from across the country have tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, requesting that NEET-UG 2022 be postponed. Over 10,000 people had previously written to the NTA, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation. The authorities have yet to respond to any requests for the exam to be postponed. Meanwhile, the NEET-UG application correction window closed on Thursday (June 16).