JEE Mains 2013: Island Students Caught Unaware about Revaluation Dates

JEE Mains 2013:

Island Students Caught Unaware about Revaluation Dates

By Zubair Ahmed

The engineering aspirant students from the Islands who appeared for the JEE (Mains) 2013 examinations were shocked to find that there were many discrepancies in the recorded responses as it differed from the one they had marked on the OMR sheets.

On the day of results on 7th May 2013, they realized their folly when another shock jolted them.  They came to know off late that they  had missed the opportunity of challenging the discrepancies as the public notice issued by CBSE for revaluation on 30 April 2013 had not hit the mark in the Islands and had expired long back on 2nd May 2013.

"There was no information from any sources about the dates of revaluation," said an anxious student from Port Blair. "There was no news in the The Daily Telegrams or All India Radio. Moreover we did not receive any SMS from CBSE, which had earlier wished us through SMS even before entering the examination hall," he added. Moreover, the timeframe was too short even if any student had planned to submit objections.

Those students who have scored the cut off marks in JEE Mains can appear for JEE (Advanced) for admissions into IITs.

Before the results of JEE (Main), CBSE was announced on 7th May 2013, a public notice on revaluation was published by CBSE on its website on 30^th April 2013 asking the candidates to view OMR Answer Sheets in respect of candidates who appeared for pen/paper based examination and questions and responses marked by candidates who appeared for computer based examination.

Immediately after the news flash of JEE Main 2013  results the students from all parts of these Islands who checked their results were shocked to learn that there were huge differences in the  marks published in JEE Main website as compared to their anticipated marks which they had worked out with answer keys. Further, most of them even did not know that their OMR Answer Sheets had been published on the JEE Main website from 30^th April, 2013 to 2^nd May, 2013 for checking and submission of objections,” and this is because the JEE Main 2013, Secretariat had not mentioned any date of publication of OMR answer sheet in their bulletin.

The time period for viewing and submission of recorded responses as per the public notice was only 3 days from 30 April 2013 to 02 May 2013. The objections/challenges submitted by post or in person were also not acceptable. Moreover, the prescribed fee of Rs 500/- in form of Demand Draft should have reached the Regional Office or JEE Main Office before 4^th May 2013 up to 5.00 PM.

The actions and direction found in aforesaid public notice were purely impractical and insufficient considering the logistic, connectivity and geographical constraints of these Islands. It’s quite obvious that it’s impossible for the candidates residing either at Campbell Bay or any other interior part of these Islands as they may not know that such public notice has been published as there were no defined schedule published in advance for viewing and submission of objection in respect of OMR answer sheets. Thereafter even if they had come to know they may not be able to submit their response challenge in the stipulated time due to remoteness of area, internet connectivity and other logistics.

There might be more than 56 Senior Secondary School functioning in this territory located in various far flung Islands. It’s also estimated that more than 2000 candidates appeared for JEE Main 2013 from these Islands, where there is no internet connectivity and if they wanted to access the JEE Main website they had to travel to their respective district headquarters.

It is also evident from Joint Entrance Examination (Main) - 2013, Information Bulletin, Page 12, Para 2.10- V which says,  “The OMR answer sheets of all the candidates along with the responses captured will be put on JEE (Main) website for verification by the candidates” which is incomplete and not supported with any timeframe and mode of revaluation/objections  procedures.

The Andaman and Nicobar Administration had been from time to time publishing information and notices in the local newspapers and on AIR news bulletin but  in this case, Administration too failed to publish any information related with the public notice on viewing of OMR Answer Sheets in print or electronic media resulting in chaos among the students who appeared for JEE Main 2013 . It is also pertinent to note that CBSE had been using SMS facility throughout the process of examination, but the notice about revaluation was not sent through SMS too.

This state of affairs have put the future of more than 2000 students of these remote islands in jeopardy and they are being deprived of their rights to know and submit objections to the JEE Main -2013 Secretariat/CBSE about discrepancy in their OMR Answer sheets.

"The Andaman and Nicobar Administration can still take up the issue with JEE Main Secretariat/CBSE to work out a mechanism for revaluation/for viewing of OMR Answer Sheets in respect of the candidates appeared for pen/paper based from these Islands and submission of objections in the event of discrepancy," said a worried parent .