Technical glitches, last-minute changes: From reform CUET turns a challenge

Over 1.4 million students have registered for the exam that is being conducted by the National Testing Agency.

Students have faced uninformed changes in exam dates, unpredictability of the newly introduced test pattern, far-flung exam centres, and confusion over last-minute changes in exam dates and centres, only to face technical glitches and administrative errors when they appear for the Central University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate courses.

Over 1.4 million students registered for the CUET-UG, being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to undergraduate courses in 44 central universities, 12 state universities, 11 deemed, and 19 private universities.

The NTA, which was set to complete the exams by August 20, has now said that they will conclude on August 28 because of the postponement and rescheduling of some tests due to technical snags and administrative errors. 

First day

Exam centres were changed on the very first day of the first phase of exam on July 15 in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri and Pathankot in Punjab due to technical glitches, according to media reports. At present, the fourth of the six phases of the exam is underway.

Subsequently, on August 4 and 5 exams of phase two were cancelled due to glitches. University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Jagdeesh Kumar had said that he received reports of “sabotage”, which led to the postponement of these exams.

The fourth phase of the exam was cancelled on August 17 across 13 centres due to technical errors, leaving 8,693 students in the lurch, according to reports.

Political battle

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday hit out at the government on twitter over the glitches, saying this was evidence of the incompetence and lack of preparedness of the ruling dispensation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also criticised the government over the issue. “This is new education policy of Amrit Kaal…issues being faced by the CUET candidates is the story of the country’s youth”, Gandhi had tweeted on August 6.

Students, parents and activists also staged protest at Jantar Mantar against the glitches on Wednesday.

Students’ woes

Students were already anxious over a delay in the announcement of senior secondary results by the CBSE, and the problems with the CUET could mean that the undergraduate admission process for academic term 2022-23 is likely to be pushed till October.

Before the introduction of the CUET, admissions for undergraduate courses would conclude by the first half of July, with the academic session commencing either in the second half of July or August.

The current delay has raised concerns over curtailed academic sessions.

Academicians’ concerns

Concerns over the CUET, which was touted as a reform in higher education under the New Education Policy, have been voiced by many academicians. Recently, speaking to a newspaper, the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit appealed to the government to change the format of the CUET exam for post- graduate courses, which is scheduled to be held in the first two weeks of September.