By H. Srikanth
In the recent consultative meeting organized in NEHU, the state government and the Principals of the UG colleges have agreed to go for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET, 2020). The state government seems to be aware of time and infrastructural constraints in undertaking the gigantic exercise of holding the Test. From news reports, we learn that the state government had talks with Centre and learnt that CUET is compulsory for all colleges affiliated to central universities. The state minister for Education expressed the hope that CUET would benefit the students of Meghalaya in the long run. As the common entrance becomes a fait accompli, it makes sense to understand the rationale for adopting the decision and examine its implications on education and the future of the students of Meghalaya.
First, let us look at the government’s rationale for the Common Entrance Test. The demand for it is an offshoot of the admission problems that a city like Delhi face. Every year, thousands of students from different states flock to the capital city, seeking admission into the colleges in Delhi. It is alleged that some state education boards award high percentage of marks so that their students have an advantage over others coming from boards which are conservative in allotting marks. In the leading colleges in Delhi, the cut off marks for admission stop around 95 percent. The students who cannot secure admission have to apply for and appear in different entrance tests. To address all these problems, a Common University Entrance Test (CUET) was conceived initially in some select universities. But recently all central universities in the country have decided to go for CUET. National Testing Agency (NTA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the online exams. The Entrance Test, which includes Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ), will test the competency of the students in language, subject domain, and General Aptitude. The questions for assessing the domain knowledge are sourced from the NCERT syllabus. College admission will now be based on the entrance score. The percentage of marks one earns in the board exams now becomes immaterial for securing admission.
If CUET becomes a reality, it will simplify the admission process in the colleges to some extent. The students have to appear only for one test and with the score they have secured, they can apply for the college admission under any central university. It may discourage the irrational and dubious practices of awarding high marks in the board examinations. The universities and colleges will be relieved of the burden of conducting separate entrance exams. To some extent, it could eliminate malpractices and external interference in the admission process. Probably the CUET is likely to address some of the dilemmas of the admission process in premier city based universities. However, it is still not clear whether such an exercise is needed for central universities located in small towns and peripheral states.
Educational scenario in states like Meghalaya differs from states like Delhi. Most students seeking admission in UG colleges in Meghalaya come from within the state, or from neighboring states. The number of applicants from the rest of the country is insignificant. Meghalaya government has its own Reservation Policy which differs from that of the government of India. The government colleges attempt to implement the state reservation policy to some extent, but private UG colleges adopt their own rules while admitting the students. Some, being the minority colleges, give preference for the students from their communities. There was no monitoring of the number of seats in the UG colleges, and the number used to vary depending on the demand and local pressure. This ad hoc policy of admission was never seriously contested, as there are enough colleges to accommodate almost of the students seeking admission. There has been competition for seats in some premier colleges. But there are also colleges where even the existing seats are not filled up. Unlike in Delhi, there is hardly any public demand for a Common Entrance Test in Meghalaya.
It appears the colleges and the state government have discussed the practical difficulties of holding the Test, but it is not clear whether they have also addressed other issues like the Reservation Policy. CUET application form specifies that the seats will be filled as per All India Reservation Policy. It is not clear whether the college principals and the state government have lent support to this reservation policy, or sought exemption from the central government, as Meghalaya comes under the Sixth Schedule. There should be clarity on whether the state reservation policy is to be applied universally, and whether the minority educational institutions continue to have autonomy in deciding whom they could give admission.
Apart from the infrastructural problems, the local students may find the entrance test difficult because of the syllabus and the format prescribed for CUET. In Meghalaya, most Higher Secondary schools follow the MBOSE syllabus. There are only a handful of CBSE schools in the state. As the NCERT syllabus is going to be the basis for the Entrance Test for different subjects, the students studying in non-CBSE schools may find it difficult to perform well in the Test. Further, since none of the students in Meghalaya are conversant with the General Aptitude Test, they are likely to perform badly. Apart from studying the NCERT syllabus, they will also be compelled to go for additional coaching to do well in the General Aptitude test. All this will add a lot of pressure on the minds of the students. They can hardly afford to enjoy any vacation after the board exams, as they have to prepare for the CUET. Our Prime Minister advises the students to relax and not take the exams seriously. But the students aspiring for admission in the colleges will be left with no option but to burn midnight oil to make it to colleges and universities. When students have just managed to emerge unscathed from the 2019 Covid trauma, the government could have waited for at least one more year for CUET.
As Education comes under the Concurrent List, every state government creates a separate department with directorates and boards to improve the access and quality of education in their state. Interventions like CUET may have adverse effect on the functioning of the state education departments. When the NCERT syllabus becomes the basis for CUET, the state syllabus becomes redundant. The state board exams lose sanctity, as they will not have any bearing on the students’ future. The students will rely on the books and coaching centres that promise easy methods to crack the entrance exams. They will not bother about attending schools and doing well in the board exams. Under pressure, all state governments will be forced to adopt the NCERT syllabus and give up emphasis on descriptive and analytical skills, and emphasize on MCQs and the General Aptitude Test. Commercial colleges and coaching centres, which give a damn for holistic education, are likely to mushroom everywhere affecting the quality of education. Commercialization of education will widen the inequalities in the access to higher education.
While acknowledging the common problems affecting all educational institutions across the country, we should not lose sight of the regional specificities and its ramification in the concerned regions]. The problems of higher education in the north-eastern states are different in some respects from the universities in mainland India. What suits JNU and Delhi University may not always be compatible with educational concerns in NEHU or Nagaland University. Education affects all aspects of our lives. Hasty decisions will have an adverse effect on the quality of education in the region in the long run. An open and informed public debate involving all stakeholders–teachers, students, parent bodies and communities–is necessary before one goes for any major reforms in the education sector.
(The author teaches Political Science in NEHU; Email: [email protected])