After protests and court cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, long hours of coaching and years of study, it’s D-Day for more than eight lakh students who have registered to write the Joint Entrance Examination-Main. The computer-based test is being conducted from September 1-6, with two shifts of students per day at 660 centres across the country.
JEE-Main is used for admission to undergraduate courses in engineering and architecture at the National Institutes of Technology and a number of Central and State engineering colleges. It is also the first step of entry into the elite Indian Institutes of Technology, with the top ranked students from JEE Main allowed to write JEE Advanced, which will be conducted by IIT Delhi on September 27.
JEE-Main is now held twice a year, in January and April. Students are allowed to write both exams and use the better score. More than 11 students wrote the test in January, and 8.58 lakh had registered for the April examination. However, due to COVID-19, JEE-Main was postponed, first to July and then September. As of Monday evening, over 7.7 lakh students had downloaded their admit cards, according to data from the National Testing Agency, the autonomous body under the Union Education Ministry which is responsible for conducting the examination.
Postponement plea
A large section of students and parents had wanted the examinations to be postponed due to the health risks for candidates and their families as well as the difficulties of travel and lodging, given that transport and hospitality facilities remain disrupted in many areas due to the pandemic.
Last month, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition from students to defer the examination. Last week, Cabinet ministers from six Opposition-ruled States — Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal — filed a review petition seeking postponement of both JEE and NEET, the medical entrance examination scheduled to be held on September 13.
The NTA says it has made sufficient arrangements to ensure the health and safety of students and invigilators. All furniture, computer equipment, door handles, staircase railings and lift buttons will be disinfected between shifts. A six-foot gap will be maintained between seats, and between students queueing at entry and exit. Body temperatures will be recorded using thermal guns at entry, and candidates with fever will be taken to isolation rooms to write the test. Hand sanitiser will be available at the entry and within venues, and fresh masks will be provided to students at the examination centre.
Students will be allowed to use their admit cards as passes to travel even within lockdown areas. State government authorities have been asked to ensure transport facilities are available. In Mumbai, JEE candidates will be allowed to travel using special suburban railway services. IIT alumni have created a portal www.eduride.in to connect needy students and those in remote areas to volunteers willing to give them a ride or donate to support cab services.