The latest postponement of the Central University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET- UG) from August 12-14 to August 24-28 has left many students in Tamil Nadu anxious and clueless about their higher education prospects.
Conceptualised by the UGC (University Grants Commission) to give a level playing field for every student, the exam itself has become a headache for many with recurrent postponements due to technical glitches. Many students have even preferred to take admission to private universities to avoid agony and trauma related to the test.
The examination, which was held between August 4 and 6, was marred by technical issues in several places and a subsequent retest was scheduled to be held between August 12 and 14. However, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the test, issued another notice further pushing the dates for the retest "considering students' requests" and said fresh admit cards would be issued.
The further delay has irked the students and even confused many that whether they need to appear for the retest or is it just for those who were not happy with their performance in the August 4-6 test.
Students speak
"Writing an entrance test is always tough but writing it twice is worse. I don't know whether they will be able to conduct it properly even on the rescheduled dates," said Kavitha Shankaran, a student aspiring to study in University of Hyderabad. "The NTA and UGC should at least for once think and conduct the exam properly," she added.
While K Advait, unable to deal with the CUET conundrum, has taken admission in a private university in management quota. "Due to the CUET mess, my parents and I have been suffering for months. I prepared so hard for CUET as I wanted to study at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), but there is no end to the glitches in the test. I cannot handle the mental agony anymore so I have taken admission in a private university in Coimbatore," said Advait.
Varsities share thoughts
Not just the students, even institutes like Central University Tamil Nadu (CUTN); and Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore, that are conducting their admissions through CUET this year, are worried as a delay in academic session is inevitable.
CUTN officials said the academic session for undergraduate students, which usually starts by the end of July, will only start by mid-September this year, that too, only if everything goes smoothly from now onwards.
CUTN is busy making arrangements for the third phase of the exam which will start from August 17, and the retest on August 24. "It is our duty to conduct the exam properly so we will take every measure to ensure a smooth conduct," said M Krishnan, Vice Chancellor of CUTN.
Avinashilingam (Deemed-to-be University), which has reserved only 20% of its seats for CUET candidates, has completed admission for the remaining seats based on merit.
"As CUET was getting delayed, we started our own admission process as we can't let the students suffer and delay the academic year," said SP Thyagarajan, Chancellor of the university.
At least 44 Central universities, 12 State universities, 11 deemed universities, and 19 private universities have implemented CUET.
