IIT-JEE Mains April session deferred due to rise in COVID-19 cases

Engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains that's scheduled to be held from April 27-30 has been postponed due to the increase in coronavirus cases. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced the rescheduling on Sunday and said that the safety of students is the primary concern now.

"Given the current #covid19 situation, I have advised @DG_NTA to postpone the JEE (Main) - 2021 April Session. I would like to reiterate that safety of our students & their academic career are @EduMinOfIndia's and my prime concerns right now," Nishank tweeted.

The official order issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) said that "looking at the present situation of COVID-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well being of candidates and examination functionaries, it has been decided to postpone JEE-(Main) April session".

The order stated that revised dates would be announced soon and at least 15 days before the examination.

The NTA is organising the IIT-JEE exams in four sessions, out of which two have already been concluded. The first session was conducted from February 23-26 and the second from March 16-18.

The agency advised the students to keep visiting the website to check for further updates. It also advised them to take this time to keep preparing for the examination. Practice tests can also be taken in the NTA Abhyas App, it said.

This announcement comes after several state and national board exams were either cancelled or deferred. CBSE postponed Class 12 exams but cancelled Class 10 board exams. ICSE also postponed the Class 10 and 12 exams.

Also read: CBSE class 12 exams postponed, class 10 exams cancelled

Also read: ICSE, ISC exams deferred, date for class 12 exams to be decided later