JEE Advanced 2023: Aspirants from 2021 demand an extra attempt
The All India Students' Union (AISU) has submitted a letter to the Director of the Indian Insitute of Guwahati (IIT G), Prof TG Sitharaman, demanding an extra JEE Advanced attempt for students who cleared their Class XII in 2021.
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced Exam is the entrance exam for admission into undergraduate Engineering, Science and Agriculture programmes at 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).
Students are only allowed two consecutive attempts at the exam. The first attempt is supposed to be in the year they pass their Class XII and the second attempt needs to be taken in the year that follows immediately.
For the JEE Advanced Exam 2022, which was conducted by IIT Bombay, the Joint Admissions Board (JAB) announced an extra attempt for students who were eligible to give the exam in 2020 and 2021 but could not do so. This applied only to students of the 2020 Class XII batch, who did not exhaust both their attempts in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
JEE Advanced exam in 2023 will be conducted by IIT Guwahati. "The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on our batch as well. Our Board exams were cancelled. Crucial preparation for competitive exams such as JEE Advanced happened online and was not sufficient. And on top of that, this year, students had to face technical issues while giving the exam. It has been a traumatising time for us, and an extra attempt in 2023 will help the students," says Harshit Singh, a JEE Advanced aspirant who cleared his Class XII in 2021.
Letter from AISU
In the letter submitted to the Director of IIT Guwahati, Roshan Kumar, General Secretary of AISU, Bihar highlights several factors that contributed to the issues of the students from the 2021 Class XII batch. From challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the change in the ranking system for the exam, and the newly introduced double registration system, the letter states that students were forced to give their second attempt in 2021 despite not being prepared.
"About 1,300 students have reached out to us with concerns regarding their future over the conduct of the JEE Advanced exam in light of these issues. Earlier in August as well, we sent an email to IIT Guwahati regarding this issue. In their reply on August 12, they said that the transfer of power from IIT Bombay to IIT Guwahati over JEE Advanced has not happened yet. At the time, they assured us that once that happens, they will consider our concerns," says Navneet Singh, National General Secretary of AISU.
Apart from writing to IIT Guwahati, these students have also filed complaints via the Public Grievances Portal (Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)) of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India.
These students have found solidarity with students of the 2022 Class XII batch. "I was among the JEE Advanced 2020 aspirants who was given an extra attempt by the authorities. I am supporting 2021 aspirants' demand for an extra attempt because they too faced the consequences of the devastating pandemic," says Saurav Saha, National Secretary of AISU.
EdexLive has reached out to IIT Guwahati for a comment and this article will be updated accordingly.
