The common test for admission to Central varsities is a shocker for Class XII students
The University Grants Commission (UGC) proposes a common undergraduate admissions test for Central universities in India beginning this July. It is to be called the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). The test score will be the only criterion for admission. It has three sections, conducted in two shifts in a single day. The first will test the students’ aptitude in languages, the second relates to domain-specific questions, and the final section is about current affairs, numerical ability, logical and quantitative reasoning. The test is compulsory for all the 45 Central universities funded by the UGC. JNU, BHU, AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia are among the institutions to conduct the first CUET. India thus joins a host of countries, like China and Japan and the US, which take the common admission test route for centralised admissions to undergraduate courses. The announcement comes as a surprise to parents of students who will take the Class XII board exams next month. The UGC gives zero weightage to Class XII marks. Then what is the point in preparing hard for the exams, the students ask in despair. So far, the only thing they know is that they have to get 100 per cent marks in all subjects — the prevalent irrational cut-off percentage for undergraduate admissions in top city colleges. The parents say that with the introduction of CUET, the students will join CUET tutorials that are bound to spring up overnight.
In CUET’s defence, the proposal is designed to give all students, irrespective of their backgrounds, a fair and equal chance of success. It is to be seen whether or not it transforms over time into a meritocratic system that opens the doors for “elite” education. There is a reason for worry. The All India Survey on Higher Education revealed that the Gross Enrolment Ratio for the 18-23 age group in India was 27.4 per cent in 2017-18 (82 per cent in the US). This means out of the total population in the age group, only 27.4 per cent attended college and university. What about the rest of them? They may have stopped education after completing or failing Class XII or failed to secure admission to undergraduate programmes. The figure may have improved over the years, but the number of students stopping education at Class XII must still be substantial. The introduction of CUET will not help this section. A simultaneous attempt is required to encourage them to complete Class XII and go for higher education or vocational training, as the case may be. Total education is what the National Education Policy is all about and the UGC is part of the set-up. The Commission may have to review its decision not to count the Class XII marks. Rather, it should standardise the evaluation methods of the State and Central boards so that the marks are realistic and then apportion a certain weightage to these as the second criterion for admission after the CUET score.