CUET 2022 for all universities will not create extra burden, save money is a myth: SFI

NEW DELHI: The Students’ Federation of India has opposed the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) saying that it will encourage coaching culture and lead to commercialization of higher education. SFI also questioned the capability and transparency of the National Testing Agency (NTA) which is supposed to conduct CUCET 2022 exam for UG admissions 2022-23 in various central universities.

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“The Central Executive Committee of SFI opposes the unilateral move of introducing CUCET that enhances the chances of students being left out and further commercialisation and centralisation of higher education,” said an official statement from VP Sanu, President and Mayukh Biswas, General Secretary of SFI.

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According to the statement, SFI has opposed these aspects of CUET 2022:

1. One exam for all the universities is problematic as it lets go of the institutional, departmental specialisation and looks for uniformity which is absolutely inessential for the sake of diversity in higher education.

2. Central examination means a further scope for the coaching mafias to build their business. We have already witnessed the kind of toxic environment there is, in the case of medical and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) aspirants, where students pay lakhs of rupees to the coaching centres. The exploitation of students and the basic logic of, "if you pay well, you will study well", will get further expanded even by research students.

3. From the time the National Testing Agency (NTA) started conducting exams in a few Institutes, the complaints of leaking question papers, anomalies in answers etc, started rising. Whether NTA is even capable of taking up such responsibilities must be questioned.

NTA also releases wrong answer keys and there is some amount to challenge it. If we see that NTA has collected a huge amount of money as many students challenge it. Releasing answers of very basic questions wrong and earning money by challenging them is not a good practice.

NTA has also reduced transparency in its process. After receiving challenges in the answer key, it has not released the final answer key and declared the results of students. (This happened last time in Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination or JNUEE)

4. Different central universities have different courses which are not available in other universities. CUCET makes it more confusing that which university offers what course and who will conduct it.

It is a myth that common exam for central universities will not create extra burden on students and will save money by filling one form. Money for seat blocking and other charges will amount the same only.