As COVID-19 cases climb to 37 lakh in India, the first day of the JEE, Joint Entrance Examination – Main exam 2020 kicked off on Tuesday, 1 September, with multiple states reporting only 50% attendance on the first day.
The NTA guidelines for conducting JEE Mains allow students to carry gloves, masks, a transparent water bottle, sanitiser and exam related documents in the hall.
The JEE Mains exam is conducted for admissions for two courses- BArch (Architecture) and BTech (Engineering).
The Quint also spoke to several students who said that they had given Tuesday’s BArch exam a miss and wanted to focus on BTech or NEET.
Low attendance number were witnessed across states like Gujarat and Assam, which reported 55 percent and 50 percent attendance on the first day of the JEE exam.
The true impact of COVID-19 was seen in Punjab, where only 45 percent of registered students appeared at the only centre for JEE Mains in Ludhiana.
Only 178 JEE Candidates Appear on Day 1 in Ludhiana
According to an Indian Express report, only 178 candidates appeared in both shifts combined on the first day in Ludhiana. A total of 388 candidates were called for the first day.
As per the National Testing Agency, nearly 14,000 students registered for JEE Mains in Punjab across nine centres in the state. The NTA COVID-19 guidelines mandates that students will be appearing for the exam in two shifts -morning and afternoon - and the exams will continue till 6 September.
Less than 50% Attendance in All Six JEE Centres Across Assam
According to a Times of India report, NTA officials blamed the low numbers of attendance on the first day to rising cases of COVID-19 in Assam. As of 2 September, the state has reported 24,514 cases.
Not only in the Guwahati city centre, poor attendance was seen in other centres as well. On an average, attendance has been around 40% only, reported Times of India, quoting an NTA official.
In the Guwahati centre, where the exam was held through digital mode, hardly 200 out of around 600 registered candidates appeared, added the NTA official.
Drop of 30% Attendance in JEE Mains Day 1 in Gujarat
Only 1,669 students of the 3,020 students registered for the first exam appeared in Gujarat, reported the Indian Express. However, authorities expected low numbers.
According to the report, attendance for the morning and afternoon shifts was 58 and 53 percent respectively.
The attendance of 80-85 percent was recorded last April. On the first day, it is usually less but it improves over six days. This is expected this time too. The overall attendance will improve on the sixth day, reported Indian Express, quoting Virendra Rawat, the Gujarat co-ordinator for JEE-Main.
The report further states that authorities declined to attribute the low absentee numbers on COVID-19 or heavy rains.
Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on Monday stated on Twitter that all COVID-19 SOPs are being followed in the state and departments of transport, electricity and health are coordinating to ensure that candidates do not face any difficulties.
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