SHILLONG, May 8: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) have raised strong objections to the allotment of far-off Common University Entrance Test-Undergraduate (CUET-UG) centres to students from Meghalaya, citing repeated negligence by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the severe financial and logistical hardships it imposes on students and their families.
The KSU Education Cell on Thursday urged the state government, particularly the Education department, to take immediate and decisive action to address the issue in coordination with the relevant national authorities.
KSU education secretary, Pynkmenlang Sanmiet, highlighted that many students from Meghalaya have been allotted centres in distant locations outside the state, including Aizawl, Dibrugarh and Dispur.
“This misallocation has become a recurring problem. Similar incidents have occurred in previous years, and the Union is deeply concerned that the National Testing Agency (NTA) continues to assign far-off centres, causing undue stress and difficulty for students,” Sanmiet said.
He pointed out that despite repeated representations, including a letter submitted to the Education Minister on March 19, 2025, the issue remains unresolved. “Despite these efforts, the NTA has once again failed to address the matter, showing a continued disregard for the challenges faced by students in Meghalaya,” he added.
Sanmiet further noted that the situation not only creates unnecessary confusion and burden for students but also poses a serious barrier to equal access and educational opportunities.
Echoing similar concerns, the HYC also appealed to the state government to urgently intervene.
In a letter to Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, HYC education cell secretary Enlang Sawian wrote that students who had recently cleared their Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examinations were being assigned centres as far as Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Kolkata, Tezpur, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.
“Given that a considerable number of these students are recent HSSLC passed with limited financial resources, the burden of travel and accommodation poses a formidable barrier, potentially discouraging them from participating in the examination altogether,” Sawian wrote.
The HYC urged the Education Minister to initiate a dialogue with the NTA and advocate for CUET centres to be established within Shillong or, at the very least, in Guwahati.
“Such measures would not only alleviate the logistical challenges faced by our students but also promote equitable access to educational opportunities,” the letter stated.
The CUET, conducted by the NTA, is a national-level entrance examination for undergraduate admissions to central universities and other institutions.
However, the recurring issue of assigning far-off centres has become a growing concern for students from remote regions like Meghalaya, where exam infrastructure remains inadequate.
