JEE Advanced 2020 - Parents Appeal the Union Minister to Consider Relaxation in Eligibility Criteria

By Asmita Kundu

Many JEE Advanced students and the members of India Wide Parents Association have filed a plea to the Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” through a letter asking for a relaxation of eligibility criteria for counselling/ admission. JEE Advanced 2020 results have been announced by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) on October 5, 2020.

According to the eligibility criteria, candidates who pass the Class 12 examination are allowed to attempt the JEE Mains thrice and JEE Advanced twice respectively. It includes the year in which the candidate has passed the Class 12 examination. Therefore, the Parents Association has written a letter to the minister that JEE Advanced aspirants who could attempt the exam for one last time this year should be given another chance.

Also Read: JoSAA Counselling 2020 - Registration For JEE Advanced Counselling Begin Today, Check Details

According to the Hindustan Times report, India Wide Parents Association wrote in the letter: “Lakhs of students did not appear for the examination due to various reasons, including the COVID-19-induced nationwide lockdown restrictions, a ban on local transport facility and growing panic about the pandemic. To make matters worse, some parts of the country were also hit hard by floods, which discouraged many students from appearing for the examination.”

This year many candidates could not appear in the JEE Advanced exam as some of them or their family members were tested from COVID-19 positive.

Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic as an issue, the members cited in the letter, “Many district authorities had restricted students, who had tested Covid-19 positive, or had family members, who were infected, due to the fear of spreading the viral outbreak. Several students were unable to appear for the final attempt at JEE-Adv this year.

“We hope the Union ministry accepts our request, considering the current situation and the mental stress that students have been facing for the past few months,” they further added.

JEE Advanced exam was held this year on September 12, 2020, wherein it was supposed to be held in April 2020. The IIT entrance exam has been delayed due to a coronavirus outbreak nationwide.

According to the National Testing Agency, around 8.58 lakhs registered for the JEE Mains exam this year and out of which nearly 6.35 lakhs appeared for the exam. The letter added that a huge number of candidates failed to appear for the exam due to COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 74% of candidates attended the JEE Main 2020 exam as per a tweet by the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”.