The Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET) Challenges and Solutions
What is the article about?
- Issues that have riddled The Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET) and ways to correct them.
Relevance:
- GSII: Issues related to education
Analysis:
- The Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET) was envisaged as a corrective to a system based on high marks and cut-offs. It promised to end the anxiety that many students graduating from schools to colleges and universities inevitably suffer.
- However, technical glitches have meant that instead of serving its stated purpose of simplifying the admission process to undergraduate courses, the new examinations have added to the stress of the youngsters.
- Server failures, admission cards being issued at the last minute and lack of clarity over examination centres have thrown unflattering light on the lack of preparedness of the National Testing Agency, the authority that conducts the CUET.
- Cancellations and rescheduling of the tests will stretch the admission procedure to the universities into September. This will, no doubt, have a spiralling effect on undergraduate timetables.
- With an aspirant being allowed to appear in up to nine papers, resulting in more than 50,000 subject combinations, the CUET — conducted in more than 550 cities in the country and 13 foreign centres — is a much bigger exercise than the entry tests to the IITs or medical institutions. A lot of preparation should have gone into conducting an operation of this scale.
Way Forward:
- The smooth conduct of the CUET will require an upgrade in the IT systems of at least the network of centres where the examinations are held.
- Several academicians have questioned the MCQ format of these examinations. Instead of this format, the admission tests to masters-level programmes should assess the critical capacities of an aspirant.
- The CUET is a work in progress: The learnings from this year’s experiences must not be lost on the NTA and other educational authorities.
