SHILLONG/ TURA, May 1: The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Sunday said all admissions into undergraduate courses in colleges affiliated to it will be through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).
NEHU spokesperson, Dr David Pyngrope said the NEHU, which is the only central university in the state, is bounded by the rules and regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
He said the UGC had informed the Vice-Chancellors of all central universities that the National Testing Agency has been assigned to conduct CUET.
Dr Pyngrope further said the NEHU advised the students, seeking admissions to UG courses in colleges affiliated to it, to get themselves registered in the CUET portal at the earliest as May 6 is the last date of registration. The varsity has nominated Debashish Chowdhury as the nodal officer of CUET.
The university administration also advised the college principals to nominate nodal officers for their respective colleges, the list of which is uploaded on the NEHU website.
Dr Pyngrope said the aspiring students may call the CUET nodal officers of the colleges affiliated to NEHU for further details and guidelines on the registration process and preparation of CUET, 2022.
He recalled that after careful deliberations with the state education department in two different meetings held at the office of Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui and NEHU campus, a decision was made that the university will go ahead with CUET, 2022.
Pyngrope said the test will provide a common platform and equal opportunities to candidates across the country.
Associate Professor of Philosophy department and social commentator, Dr Prasenjit Biswas said, “CUET is an idea for allowing cross-regional and trans-local mobility of students. To make it possible, CUET needs to incorporate diversity of syllabi from state boards.”
He cited the MBoSE syllabi in this regard. Also, he said, in giving placements, CUET needs to take into account local demands for admission to colleges. College admissions could be through CUET score and also by taking into account demands for admission in local colleges, which should be kept open even to those who did not take CUET, Dr Biswas said.
The framework must evolve at the grassroots level that does not reduce present level of enrollment. As education for young adults is the backbone of Indianness, it must be inclusive in every possible way, he insisted.
Meanwhile, Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) general secretary, Treiborlang R Suchen said it is the duty of the state government to impress upon the Centre to exempt Meghalaya from CUET, 2022. He said the students in the state are in a dilemma over the test.
Many students, especially in rural areas, are still in the dark about CUET, Suchen said, adding it is difficult for them to submit their registration forms for the exam due to poor network connectivity. He wondered how the government will conduct CUET in Jaintia Hills when it does not have a centre for the exams conducted by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission.
He mentioned that the Tamil Nadu government had passed a resolution in the Assembly to exempt the state from CUET as the students there are not ready for it.
IIT graduate’s suggestions on CUET
An IIT, Guwahati graduate from North Garo Hills has suggested a buffer period of at least two years or more with a unique cut-off for the students from the Northeast. Timjim K Momin, who is also the District Youth Congress president, made this suggestion to ensure that the current batch is not affected and the upcoming batch is adequately prepared for the exam.
“Because the Northeast is lagging behind the rest of India, implementing CUET right away will cause our intermediate students to fall behind for another two to three years, which is unfair,” Momin said.
“Normally, students planning to write in any central entrance exam need a year or two to prepare. So, how can we expect our students from remote areas, who haven’t even had basic awareness or advice about the exam, to prepare for it in two-three months?” he asked.
He said Meghalaya, particularly the Garo Hills Region, lacks a competitive atmosphere compared to other states with less than 10% passing central competitive exams every year.
“In remote areas, school infrastructure and administration must be first improved in order to provide excellent education in preparation for the exam. Of course, CUET will bring positive changes and motivate the students but implementing it immediately in the economically-backward states such as Meghalaya is not the best approach,” Momin said.