Why students are angry with CUET
The first edition of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate admissions has run into a serious muddle. A few technical glitches forced the National Testing Agency (NTA) to cancel the exam at some centres, and UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar took refuge under the possibility of a wilful sabotage. The test was supposed to be wrapped up in two phases spread over three weeks, but is now stretching beyond six weeks.
As most private universities went ahead with their admission process, several students were left stranded or forced to take admission by paying a huge fee. New CUET dates clashing with local festivals and wrong allocation of exam centres have also added to their complaints. As a whole, the new experiment of ‘one nation, one test’, which was announced in the middle of the previous academic year, has left thousands of students sore.
The move to launch CUET for central universities stemmed from the belief that some school boards were unfairly lavish in giving marks. In 2021, a Delhi University professor kicked up a storm by stating that Kerala students are infiltrating Delhi through what he termed ‘Marks jihad’ and ‘Organised missionary-type development’. On its part, CUET, coming after two difficult years of the pandemic, has effectively established that Class-12 board exam results have no bearing on UG admissions into several universities. At the last count, 45 central universities and scores of state universities and deemed/private universities, have decided to make CUET scores their basis for admission.
It is surprising that NTA, which also conducts other competitive exams such as JEE (Main) and NEET-UG, has ended up with egg on its face. Of course, CUET is now the second-biggest entrance exam in India, with 14.9 lakh registrations, surpassing the JEE (Main). CUET, which is meant to create a level-playing field, has already spurred another thriving business of coaching, creating additional stress for students. The current mess has only compounded their woes. We can’t afford to have such technical glitches during an important exam like CUET. NTA has to ensure such bugs are taken out. For the time being, let’s have a guidance cell for immediate grievance redressal.