# Science students trapped by rigid subject rules, Jantar Mantar protest says 2026-09-16T04:47:09+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Students who chose Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) or Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) after Class 10 face rigid eligibility barriers that block career switches, educationists told a protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. A student who picked PCB to become a doctor said he discovered by Class 12 that almost every other door was closed: he could not sit for engineering entrances without Mathematics and found few government exams that tested his science aptitude. He said the realisation pushed him into depression. The National Education Policy 2020 promotes multidisciplinary learning, but admission rules still depend on fixed Class 11, 12 subject combinations. Educationists argue India's examination system relies too heavily on JEE and NEET, leaving students who do not qualify for those tests with few alternative pathways. They want more government exams that accept a Class 12 pass certificate and test core science aptitude, opening routes into applied sciences and technical services. ## Indian Opinion Analysis In India, only about 5-6 lakh of the 15 lakh candidates who appear for NEET UG each year secure a medical seat, and roughly 2.5 lakh of 12 lakh JEE Main examinees qualify for engineering counselling. That leaves lakhs of science students each year without a route mapped by the two dominant exams. The NEP 2020 promised broad-based, multidisciplinary undergraduate education, but its implementation is left to individual universities and regulators who have not reformed their admission rules. The University Grants Commission has allowed multiple entry and exit points in degrees, but that applies after enrolment, not at the entrance stage. The next signal will come if the National Testing Agency or the education ministry announces a new common aptitude test for science graduates, as was hinted in the 2023 draft National Curriculum Framework. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Tags: Jantar Mantar, JEE Main, National Education Policy 2020, NEET-UG, University Grants Commission Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/science-students-trapped-by-rigid-subject-rules-jantar-mantar-protest-says/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/science-students-trapped-by-rigid-subject-rules-jantar-mantar-protest-says/#story-in-brief