In a directive issued on Wednesday, 18 March, the Ministry of Human Resource Development directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to postpone Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) mains till after 31 March, in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
Directions were also issued UGC, AICTE, NIOS, CBSE, NCTE and all autonomous organisations under the ministry for the postponement of all the examinations till 31 March.
“Since JEE mains may require travel by examinees to different towns and the dates may clash with rescheduled CBSE and other board exams, therefore, JEE mains should be rescheduled and a new date of JEE mains will be announced on 31 March after reassessment of the situation,” the notification stated.
New exam dates are expected to be announced by NTA on its official website.
“The new date will be decided in accordance with the board exams schedule and other competitive exams to ensure there is no clash,” a senior official told news agency PTI.
"While maintenance of academic calendar and exam schedule is important, equally important is safety and security of students who are appearing in various examinations as also of their teachers and parents," HRD secretary Amit Khare said in the notification.
“All educational institutions and examination boards have been requested to maintain regular communication with the students and teachers through electronic means and keep them fully informed so that there is no anxiety amongst the students, teacher and parents,” he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
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