CUET UG begins, students face disruptions
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate admissions began on Tuesday amid disruption across various examination centres, with students across the country encountering significant challenges.
In conflict-hit Jammu and Kashmir, examinees were unable to appear for the test as a result of the tensions between India and Pakistan in recent days. Meanwhile, students in urban centres like Delhi faced a different set of issues, including long delays and technical glitches at exam centres, raising concerns over the preparedness and infrastructure supporting this crucial national-level examination.
President of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that he had received 'hundreds of calls since morning from students pleading for a change in CUET dates.'
'Students whose houses have been burned down are calling me because they had to miss their CUET paper today. Several students had left their districts and gone to other states when the conflict started, and they still haven't returned. These students had to miss their papers,' Khuehami said. He added that many centres assigned to students in the region were in schools shut due to shelling.
Khuemani also said he has written multiple letters to the education minister of Jammu & Kashmir Sakina Itoo and met her as well to raise the concerns but was met with a single line response 'We will work something out.' However, no action has been taken yet.
Saqib, a student from Jammu, told HT his exam centre was in Himachal Pradesh. 'How am I supposed to leave a place that has already seen the wrath of the conflict and go to some other state? I am already traumatised, and my parents will not allow me to go. My entire year has gone to waste. Who will be answerable for this? What was my fault?' he said.
Sameer, a student from Rehari district of Jammu had his centre in Amritsar. Sameer told HT,'I had packed my bags last night and then drones were sighted in Samba. We have to go through Samba to reach Amritsar, my heart sank...I knew I will have to miss my exam.' Sameer's mother then told him,'Don't go for the paper, exams will come and go but you are my child---what will I do if something happens?' Sameer said that he had called his centre multiple times to check if the exam had taken place but no one picked up. 'Now my next paper is on the 28th but I am in no mood to prepare for it. No one cares about us, why should I bother,' said Sameer. He also added,'Would the government have done nothing for its students if the same had happened in Delhi?'
In Delhi, students reported technical and logistical chaos. Lakshita Panghal, who appeared at a centre in Rohini, said the problems began early in the morning. 'We reached around 6:30 am. At 7:00 am, roll numbers were put up on the gate, but the gates didn't open until much later. There was no one from the management, only security guards,' she said.
Panghal recounted how she entered the premises herself because the gates were locked from inside. 'I put my hand through and opened the gate. The guards told me to leave, but I asked why we were not being allowed in even after the reporting time.'
She said the delay lasted more than an hour. 'The management told us they had no power, the generator wasn't working, and the UPS couldn't take the load. That's why they didn't let us in,' she said.
Parents protested outside the gate. Eventually, students were let in but had to wait on the staircase, some in direct sunlight. 'There was no power, no fans. After a long wait, we were finally taken to labs and made to sit again. The exam started at 10:30 am, an hour and a half late,' she said.
She also reported that biometric verification and security checks were rushed. 'There was hardly any checking. They spent maybe five seconds per student,' she said.
On conditions inside the exam hall, she added: 'There was one AC for around 40 students. It wasn't working properly. But at that point, the heat was the least of our worries.'
Aaryan Singhla, another student, said he travelled to Ambala, Haryana for his exam, only to face similar issues. 'There were no fans or lights. The heat was almost unbearable,' he said. 'Security was much stricter this time. Many students had to throw away accessories because there were no lockers.'
CUET UG 2025 is being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) from May 13 to June 3 in computer-based mode. The exam is being held in three shifts daily: 9:00–10:00 am, 12:00–1:00 pm, and 3:00–4:00 pm, covering 37 subjects including 13 languages, 23 domain-specific subjects, and one general test. The test is available in 13 languages and is a key requirement for undergraduate admissions in central, state, and participating universities.
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