Page 15 - Print

Education News

DELHI one, the abrupt speed with which
CUET: Unwarranted haste CUET has been declared manda-

tory for all school-leavers aspiring
for admission into premier colleges
of Central government universities
— especially Delhi University — has
shocked many educators, parents
and students.
In a letter to the Union education
ministry, Sudha Acharya, chair-
person of the Delhi-based National
Progressive Schools Conference
which has a membership of 400
private schools wrote: “The pres-
ent batch of students which will
seek admission based on the newly
introduced CUET have lived through
the pandemic, appeared in the class
X board exams in 2020, term-I of
the class XII boards in 2021 and are
currently preparing for term-II of
UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar (left) & Sudha Acharya: stress disagreement the class XII boards to be held in
April-June. In the middle of their
HE OUT-OF-THE-BLUE announce- The process for conducting CUET preparation for the term-II exams,
ment of a Central Universi- 2022 has already commenced with they are being told that they will
Tties Entrance Test (CUET) the National Testing Agency (NTA) have to appear for another examina-
for admission into undergraduate under the Union ministry of educa- tion for admission into colleges, the
programmes of all 45 Central gov- tion announcing application dates application form for which will be
ernment universities from the start from April 2-30. The three-part ex- available in April. They now have to
of this academic year (2022-23), has ams scheduled for July will be spread re-live another stress of appearing
sparked a nationwide debate on its over several days though actual dates for CUET.”
impact on higher secondary school are yet to be announced. Central uni- Dr. Vineeta Kamran, an
education, the future of school ex- versities and their affiliated colleges English alumna of Punjab University
amination boards and board exams, will admit 1.8 lakh school-leavers. and principal of the CISCE-affiliated
homogenisation of K-12 education Several private deemed universi- City Montessori School, Kanpur Rd,
and greater impetus to coaching ties have also decided to use CUET Lucknow, a constituent school of Ut-
culture. scores to admit undergrad students. tar Pradesh’s eponymous top-ranked
Announcing CUET on March The biggest surprise of CUET is co-ed day school, believes that
21, Prof. Mamidala Jagadesh that it has binned the hitherto all-im- CUET would have better served its
Kumar, chairman, University portant school-leaving board exam purpose of providing a level playing
Grants Commission (UGC) — and marks, including marks of CBSE and field for students from competitive
until recently the controversial vice CISCE exam national boards. For examination boards if it had been
chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru entry into top-ranked undergrad col- introduced after adequate delibera-
University, Delhi — was upbeat that leges such as St. Stephen’s, Shri Ram tion and debate with school leaders
the common entrance test will lessen College of Commerce and Miranda and educators. “There is a danger of
financial and mental stress of school- House affiliated with Delhi Univer- CUET making higher secondary edu-
leavers having to write multiple en- sity, a Central varsity, high scores cation irrelevant. The qualifying bar
trance tests, free undergrad colleges in school board exams have become for writing CUET should have been
and universities from the stress of irrelevant. Any student who averages set higher at 70 percent. Discussion
conducting their own entrance tests above 40 percent is eligible to write and debate would have eliminated
and eliminate the phenomenon of CUET. anomalies and resulted in a more
popular colleges notifying sky-high This peremptory reduction of robust CUET,” says Kamran.
cut-off scores in class XII board the school-leaving class XII board The introduction of a manda-
exams for admission into some study exam to irrelevance has disturbed tory CUET for admission into much
programmes. knowledgeable educationists. For prized undergrad colleges of Central

16 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2022