Gandhinagar, September 1: Nearly 45 percent of the total students registered for the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) 2020 were absent on day 1 of the exams in Gujarat. The absenteeism, which is considered as sharply higher than the annual average, comes amid widespread fear of transmission of COVID-19. JEE Main 2020 First Day Exam in Pics: ‘No Social Distancing at Examination Centre’, ‘Lack of Hand Gloves', Complaint Students.

The JEE Main exams, which began today, will be held till September 6 in all parts of the country. Over 9 lakh students are registered nationwide, with Gujarat accounting for 38,167 of the total aspirants.

For first day of the exams, 3,020 students in the state were registered to appear at the allocated examination centres. Among them, 1,664 students had turned up to write the exams, said a senior official.

Around 45 percent students skipped the JEE Main on the first day of exams, Virendra Ravat, JEE Coordinator for Gujarat, was reported as saying. "Normally, 25-30 percent of students skip the exams every year. The percentage this year is higher by 10-15," he added.

Ahead of the commencement of exams, an online campaign was initiated by several students seeking the postponement of JEE Main and NEET UG till the threat of COVID-19 subsides.

Apart from the risk of virus transmission, the lockdown imposed in several parts of the state was considered as a factor that could hinder the students' movement to the examination centres.

Several state governments have taken special measures to provide last-mile connectivity to the students to commute to the examination centres. A group of IIT students and alumnus have launched a portal - eduride.in - to help students in finding transportation facilities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 01, 2020 10:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).