Rahul solanki should have been buried in his texts, preparing for the All India Engineering Entrance Exam. Instead, he is working on logistical support to reach his exam centre which is 27 kilometres from home on May 1.Like him, Akansha Joshi (name changed) will travel from Andheri to Panvel to take the AIEEE. "I can drive my daughter to her centre. But many others will have to take an early train or bus to get to their examination hall. Our first choice was Mumbai, but I guess there aren't enough centres in the city and we have been forced to go to Navi Mumbai," her father A Joshi said.
The AIEEE is the largest engineering entrance test in the country with more than 11 lakh students taking it. This year, the test also went online but only 4,900 students opted for the online version; the rest preferred the pencil-paper mode.
Two years ago, several city students had complained they had been allotted centres in Port Blair and Daman. Students heaved a sigh of relief that they didn't have to book air tickets but many complained of a long travel before a crucial test. "I stay in Colaba, but have been allotted a centre in Anushakti Nagar. I am wondering how to get there as the exam starts at 9 am," Solanki said.
In fact, Solanki wanted to visit the centre before the D-day, but he received his hall tickets only on Wednesday. According to the CBSE, he ought to have obtained it before April 6. "I went to the post office to apply for a duplicate hall ticket to ensure that I have my seat number before the exams," he said.
Officials at the Central Board of Secondary Education, which conducts the entrance exam, said that centres were allotted randomly, based on students' choice of cities. "We only ask students for preferred cities for the exam and not areas. The centre section is done randomly and not manually to ensure security," said Vineet Joshi, chairman of the CBSE board. "We are open to suggestions and if students have a problem, then we will look into it next year."
This year, though, students will have to just start early. "I have to leave at 7 in the morning to ensure I reach the centre on time," said Amarjot Kaur, an aspirant who lives in Goregaon and has her centre at Koliwada. "I have never been there before." (TOI)
