CUET Defective

Source: The post is based on an article “CUET Defective” published in The Times of India on 8^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human

Relevance:

News: Recently, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) exam will go on till August 28.

What are the reasons for such an extended exam period?

The announcement is attributed to “administrative/logistics/technical” reasons.

Proximate Causes

In CUET’s second phase, a number of major technical glitches like server issues, snags in downloading papers and security protocol failures. Therefore, NTA cancelled exams at around 10% of the centres.

Ultimate Causes

The under-preparation of the NTA. Unlike JEE-Main, which has only two papers, CUET tests 54,000 unique subject combinations. Therefore, CUET demands a more complex IT architecture and sturdier infra.

Consequences

The glitches and delays will have spill-over effects on the entire higher education cycle.

Psychological impact: For Class XII students, this year is being felt like a never-ending nightmare of exam dates. They will have to face a fresh round of uncertainty. They will get their admit cards close to exam dates, often leaving them scrambling to make difficult travel arrangements.

The Way Forward

NTA should invest in system upgrades. For example, the Kendriya Vidyalaya network can be used.

There are plans to hold CUET twice in the next academic year.

The Union Ministry of Education must ensure accountability at NTA.