NEW DELHI: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) – Major for admission to engineering colleges began Tuesday amid strict precautions and social distancing measures in light of the Covid-19 pandemic even as the chorus continued to grow to postpone the crucial exam that has already been postponed twice.
Scenes outside test centers across the country reflected the ‘new normal’ amid the pandemic: staggered entry and exit for candidates, disinfectants at the doors, distribution of masks, and students queuing with a safe social distance between they.
JEE-Mains, the first large-scale exam to take place amid the pandemic, is scheduled for Sept. 1-6. More than 9 lakh candidates have registered for the entrance examination to engineering courses at IIT, NIT and centrally funded technical institutions (CFTI). .
While the governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have assured students that they will provide transportation to candidates, a group of IIT alumni and students has also launched a portal to provide transportation facilities to test centers for candidates. that they need it.
Several candidates who took the exam in West Bengal had difficulties getting to their exam centers due to heavy rains and lack of transportation. However, those in Delhi and NCR did not complain of major difficulties.
Congressional leader Rahul Gandhi, who has opposed conducting the JEE and NEET exams amid the pandemic, claimed that the Modi government has ignored the “genuine concerns” of the applicants, who have been demanding the postponement. from entrance exams because of his “arrogance.” and it is jeopardizing the future of India.
“The Modi government is putting India’s future in jeopardy. Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of JEE-NEET applicants, as well as the demands of those who took the SSC and other exams. Give jobs, not slogans empty, “Gandhi said on Twitter.
Students in Delhi who appeared for the exam on Tuesday said they were initially concerned about taking the exam in the midst of a pandemic, but did not face any problems at the centers as all safety regulations were followed correctly.
Shivani, who took the computer exam at Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Upper Secondary School in Vivek Vihar here, said that he traveled from Dwarka Mor to the center without facing any difficulties.
“In the midst of the ongoing protests to demand the postponement of the exam, I thought the exam will not happen. But somewhere I didn’t want them to be postponed, as it would have caused more anxiety among the students, “she said.
When requesting anonymity, another candidate at the center said that all standard operating procedures were followed within the test center and that students were required to sit at a suitable safe distance.
However, the scenes were different in West Bengal. While the government had asked all state transportation companies to start bus services from 5 a.m. in view of the exam, several candidates in North 24 Parganas, Berhampur, Malda, and Siliguri claimed they had to wait hours, challenging a downpour, to get a bus to get to their testing centers.
The suspension of local train services due to the Covid-19 pandemic added to the ills of the candidates.
“I had to hire a taxi to get downtown at TCS Gitobitan in Salt Lake from Khardah (North 24 Parganas), as there was no direct bus available. It would have been easier if the trains had traveled,” Subham Das, one of the candidates, he said.
Meanwhile, the Nagpur court of the Bombay High Court refused to suspend the JEE-Main exam, but said that any student residing in flood-affected parts of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra may not be able to reach the exam center or you are late, you can ask the National Testing Agency to find a new exam.
Increasing the number of test centers from 570 to 660, alternative seating plans, fewer candidates per room, and staggered entry and exit are some of the steps the National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken to safely conduct the crucial exam.
“Hand sanitizers are available at all times at the entrance of the exam center and inside the exam room. The usual process of verifying candidates’ admission cards has been replaced by barcode scanners, which are have been made available to the authorities of the examination center, “said an NTA official.
“While all candidates are required to come to the exam centers with masks and disinfectants, once they enter the center, they must use the masks provided by the examining authority. Each candidate will be offered a 3-layer mask at the time of admission and is expected to use the same during the examination to avoid any form of unfair means at the time of the examination, “added the official.
The first shift of the examination started at 9.30 a.m. while the examination of the second shift took place from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.
“Before the start of each exam shift and after the end of the last shift, all seats were thoroughly disinfected and workstations and keyboards were disinfected,” the NTA official said.
There has been a growing chorus for postponing exams amid the growing number of Covid-19 cases. The Supreme Court had previously dismissed a petition to postpone the two exams amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying that a “precious year” of students cannot be wasted and that life must go on.
Based on the results of the JEE-Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams, 2.45 lakh top candidates will be eligible to sit for the JEE-Advanced exam which is a comprehensive exam to gain admission to the 23 leading institutes of technology in India . (IIT). JEE-Advanced is scheduled for September 27.
On Video: Students Line Up In Front Of Test Centers For JEE Mains, Follow Covid-19 Safety Regulations
Scenes outside test centers across the country reflected the ‘new normal’ amid the pandemic: staggered entry and exit for candidates, disinfectants at the doors, distribution of masks, and students queuing with a safe social distance between they.
JEE-Mains, the first large-scale exam to take place amid the pandemic, is scheduled for Sept. 1-6. More than 9 lakh candidates have registered for the entrance examination to engineering courses at IIT, NIT and centrally funded technical institutions (CFTI). .
While the governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have assured students that they will provide transportation to candidates, a group of IIT alumni and students has also launched a portal to provide transportation facilities to test centers for candidates. that they need it.
Several candidates who took the exam in West Bengal had difficulties getting to their exam centers due to heavy rains and lack of transportation. However, those in Delhi and NCR did not complain of major difficulties.
Congressional leader Rahul Gandhi, who has opposed conducting the JEE and NEET exams amid the pandemic, claimed that the Modi government has ignored the “genuine concerns” of the applicants, who have been demanding the postponement. from entrance exams because of his “arrogance.” and it is jeopardizing the future of India.
“The Modi government is putting India’s future in jeopardy. Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of JEE-NEET applicants, as well as the demands of those who took the SSC and other exams. Give jobs, not slogans empty, “Gandhi said on Twitter.
Students in Delhi who appeared for the exam on Tuesday said they were initially concerned about taking the exam in the midst of a pandemic, but did not face any problems at the centers as all safety regulations were followed correctly.
Shivani, who took the computer exam at Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Upper Secondary School in Vivek Vihar here, said that he traveled from Dwarka Mor to the center without facing any difficulties.
“In the midst of the ongoing protests to demand the postponement of the exam, I thought the exam will not happen. But somewhere I didn’t want them to be postponed, as it would have caused more anxiety among the students, “she said.
When requesting anonymity, another candidate at the center said that all standard operating procedures were followed within the test center and that students were required to sit at a suitable safe distance.
However, the scenes were different in West Bengal. While the government had asked all state transportation companies to start bus services from 5 a.m. in view of the exam, several candidates in North 24 Parganas, Berhampur, Malda, and Siliguri claimed they had to wait hours, challenging a downpour, to get a bus to get to their testing centers.
The suspension of local train services due to the Covid-19 pandemic added to the ills of the candidates.
“I had to hire a taxi to get downtown at TCS Gitobitan in Salt Lake from Khardah (North 24 Parganas), as there was no direct bus available. It would have been easier if the trains had traveled,” Subham Das, one of the candidates, he said.
Meanwhile, the Nagpur court of the Bombay High Court refused to suspend the JEE-Main exam, but said that any student residing in flood-affected parts of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra may not be able to reach the exam center or you are late, you can ask the National Testing Agency to find a new exam.
Increasing the number of test centers from 570 to 660, alternative seating plans, fewer candidates per room, and staggered entry and exit are some of the steps the National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken to safely conduct the crucial exam.
“Hand sanitizers are available at all times at the entrance of the exam center and inside the exam room. The usual process of verifying candidates’ admission cards has been replaced by barcode scanners, which are have been made available to the authorities of the examination center, “said an NTA official.
“While all candidates are required to come to the exam centers with masks and disinfectants, once they enter the center, they must use the masks provided by the examining authority. Each candidate will be offered a 3-layer mask at the time of admission and is expected to use the same during the examination to avoid any form of unfair means at the time of the examination, “added the official.
The first shift of the examination started at 9.30 a.m. while the examination of the second shift took place from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.
“Before the start of each exam shift and after the end of the last shift, all seats were thoroughly disinfected and workstations and keyboards were disinfected,” the NTA official said.
There has been a growing chorus for postponing exams amid the growing number of Covid-19 cases. The Supreme Court had previously dismissed a petition to postpone the two exams amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying that a “precious year” of students cannot be wasted and that life must go on.
Based on the results of the JEE-Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams, 2.45 lakh top candidates will be eligible to sit for the JEE-Advanced exam which is a comprehensive exam to gain admission to the 23 leading institutes of technology in India . (IIT). JEE-Advanced is scheduled for September 27.
On Video: Students Line Up In Front Of Test Centers For JEE Mains, Follow Covid-19 Safety Regulations
.
