Students brave Covid, take JEE under protocol
Mixed reactions from parents, authorities on social distancing
Amid protests and opposition from students across the country, the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main started on Tuesday. Day 1 saw candidates appear for the BArch and BPlanning papers at various centres in the city. The JEE is being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Outside the centres, as per guidelines of the NTA, students queued up for temperature checks hours before the scheduled time. Even though the morning exam started at 9 o’clock, the reporting time started at 7. Students were provided separate arrival time slots as per their JEE Main admit cards to prevent crowding at the exam centres.
While most students and guardians that Deccan Chronicle spoke to seemed surprised and satisfied with the conduct of the exam where social distancing was in place and seating plans were adjusted to suit Covid-19 guidelines at most centres, videos and images of mismanagement of crowds during the morning session cropped up on social media.
Parents and guardians of JEE aspirants complained that there was no arrangement made for them outside the Noma Convention Centre, Nacharam, that led to crowding. Parents pointed out that those who had cars, sat inside waiting for three hours, but those without stood in scorching heat and masks drenched in sweat. Reports also suggested that no social distancing was followed by students while exiting the exam centre.
At other centres like iON Digital Zone, Old Alwal, most candidates arrived with guardians, who were not allowed to wait outside for the duration of the examination. A JEE aspirant, Ashmit Debroy noted that all safety measures were in place when he arrived at the center, where he was asked to dispose of his mask and use the one provided to them. Gloves and face shields were optional, he said.
“We weren’t expecting the arrangements to be so smooth. Even inside the exam hall, in a row of eight systems, only two candidates were seated. The exit process was also completed with physical distancing in place,” added Ashmit.
Students noted that since JEE Main Paper 2 had fewer candidates, there was less of a crowd on Tuesday, but since JEE Paper 1 exams for the BTech and BE courses, with candidates much larger in number, the real issues might crop up. JEE Main Paper 1 for BEE and BTech courses will be held in two sessions each day from September 2 to September 6.
Students from various remote locations are supposed to take the upcoming exams. Due to absence of public transport, candidates said reaching their examination centre would be a challenge. To aid them, a team of volunteers who were earlier providing help during the lockdown, called Sai Task Force, have diverted their resources to providing free transportation and even accommodation to students travelling from far-off districts to the city.
Rahul Shiva, member of the core team, informed that they have received several calls from candidates appearing for both JEE Mains and NEET, to ferry them to centres and back home. He said that they had bookings for transportation from districts like Sangareddy, Khammam, Warangal, among other places.
While the NTA has not released any state-wise data on the number of candidates that appeared for the exam on the first day, in Telangana state alone, 67,319 students have registered for JEE Mains to be held at 27 centres till September 6.