Highlights:
- JEE- Mains exams were conducted last week
- 6.35 Lakh candidates appeared for the exams
- In January session the turnout was 94.32%
JEE-Mains exams were conducted last week in September and at least 74% candidates who had registered for the exams appeared amidst the strict precautions put in place owing to the ongoing COvID-19 pandemic in the country.
Having said that, the attendance figures were considerably lower than the January session when 94.32% candidates had appeared for the entrance exams.
JEE- Mains which stands for the Joint Entrance Exam- Mains are conducted for the admission to engineering colleges all over the country and is conducted twice a year.
Going by the statistics provided by the Ministry of Education, 8.58 lakh had registered for the JEE-Mains and 6.35 lakh applicants appeared for the engineering entrance test which were held from 1st September to 6th September.
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The exam was conducted after being deferred twice in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, in a tweet, said, “JEE-Main is held twice a year. The previous one was held in January this year. Several students who did not appear for the exam in September may have done well in the January exam and hence did not feel the need to sit for the exam this time. We are ascertaining those numbers,”.
#JEEMains Exams are held twice in a year. The previous one was held in January this year. Several students who didn't appear for the exam in Sept may have done well in the January exam hence did not feel the need to sit for the exam this time. We are ascertaining those numbers.
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) September 9, 2020
Last year the attendance in the January exams was 94.11% while for the April edition of JEE-Mains were at 94.15%.
JEE-Mains holds paramount importance however it was entangled in controvercy due to the demand from many people which included various section of students and opposition parties to postpone the entrance exam again as the cases of COVID-19 in India are rising at an increasing rate.
Pokhriyal, however, said that “Any further delay of the exams would not have been in the interest of our hardworking students & their plans for college admissions. Our NDA Government has always been unwavering regarding student welfare & student safety. We will always work for the interests of our youth.”
Any further delay of the exams would not have been in the interest of our hardworking students & their plans for college admissions. Our NDA Government has always been unwavering regarding student welfare & student safety. We will always work for the interests of our youth.
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) September 9, 2020
However, another senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy raised concerns that the attendance was lower than the figure given by the Ministry of Education.
Swamy tweeted, “I will soon tweet what the Ministry of Education stated to the Supreme Court as candidates registered State wide and abroad at 953 473 at 660 centres. The Minister’s tweet for me to see his “facts” was 8.58 lakhs. Now whose’s is official?”
I will soon tweet what the Ministry of Education stated to the Supreme Court as candidates registered State wide and abroad at 953 473 at 660 centres. The Minister’s tweet for me to see his “facts” was 8.58 lakhs. Now whose’s is official?
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 10, 2020
Earlier the Supreme Court of India dismissed a plea seeking the postponement of the two entrance exams amidst the spur in COVID-19 cases in India saying that a “precious year” of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on.
Based on the results of the JEE-Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2, the top 2.45 lakh candidates will be eligible to appear for the JEE-Advanced exam. JEE-Advanced is a one-stop exam to get admission into one of the 23 premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
JEE-Advanced is scheduled to take place on the 27th of September. Many leaders from the opposition including Rahul Gandhi from Congress, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal and her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, , DMK President MK Stalin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also demanded that the exams must be postponed.
