Controversy on JEE-Advanced being made online
2017-09-14The decision to make JEE-Advanced completely online from 2018 has already run into controversy with students from Bihar taking up the issue with not only the Bihar Chief Minister and Union HRD Minister but also with the Prime Minister. Pankaj Kumar Kapadia, an IIT Delhi alumnus, has already emailed the PM to this effect. The concern arises from the fact that students from interiors and rural areas are not very computer savvy and hence may be at a disadvantage if the offline (pen and paper based) option which was available till now is done away with.
“Already grappling to overcome the English language barrier, many of us who had earlier not even touched the mouse of a computer will now have to write the exam on a computer. It is like eliminating them in the very beginning. They deserve the right to equality,” Kapadia said.
It remains to be seen how the Govt responds to this. It is very likely that such requests may come up from other states as well, given the fact that computer literacy is still not universal and JEE-Advanced is probably the most critical opportunity for Engineering aspirants.