JEE exams postponed due to surge in COVID-19 cases

On Sunday, April 18, the National Testing Agency (NTA) stated that the next phase of the Joint Entrance Exam - Main (JEE Main) has been postponed due to the spike in cases of coronavirus across India.

In a statement, the agency stated, "Looking into the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well-being of the candidates and examination functionaries, it has been decided to postpone the JEE (Main) - 2021 April session,"

Moreover, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal also confirmed the same stating, “Given the current COVID-19 situation, I have advised NTA to postpone the JEE (Main) – 2021 April session. I would like to reiterate that the safety of our students and their academic career are Education Ministry's and my prime concerns right now,"

With the second wave of coronavirus hitting India, many students and aspirants had earlier demanded the postponement of the JEE Main examinations 2021. According to reports, JEE Main 2021 for the April session was scheduled to be conducted from April 27 to 30 in online mode. Moreover, 2021 JEE Main is being held in four sessions which are from February 23 to 26 (Session 1), March 15 to 18 (session 2), April 27 to 30 (Session 3), and May 24 to 28 (Session 4).

This was touted to be the third session of the JEE Exam in 2021. However, with the rise in cases of coronavirus, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam has taken the decision in an effort to contain the spread of the disease.