After being postponed twice due to the pandemic the commencement of the JEE(main) test today, despite opposition from several quarters, was the right thing to do. Several chief ministers and a significant number of students and parents had opposed the National Testing Agency decision, but the Union education ministry didn’t flinch. The NTA’s physical distancing measures like increasing the number of shifts, staggered entry and exit of students, disinfecting the computers after each shift, etc, have also provided a reassuring effect.
Being the first day of perhaps the first massive national level entrance examination to be held amid the pandemic, it is important to ensure that there are no glitches and masks are compulsorily and safely worn. Students who could end up missing the test for no fault of theirs, like non-available transportation or admit card errors, must be given a second chance. The decision to run Mumbai local trains for students could have been replicated in Delhi with the metro.
JEE (Main) exams commences from today: Key points
The conduct of JEE this week and NEET on September 13 could offer pointers to Union education ministry, central and state education agencies like UGC and CBSE on ways to safely reopen schools when the time is right. Postponing JEE further would have severely hurt the prospects of the students who passed out of higher secondary schools this year. Ensuring an incident free JEE over the next five days will go to greatly improve public confidence in unlocking efforts and pave the way for normalcy.
