NEW DELHI: Acknowledging that technical glitches in some centres led to the postponement of CUET-UG, the University Grants Commission chief told TOI on Sunday that some of the phase II exams were also cancelled/postponed after reports of sabotage. The National Testing Agency (NTA), meanwhile, extended the CUET-UG exam dates up to August 28. Candidates who were affected by last week’s test cancellations will now be accommodated in this fourth phase. Notifying this on Sunday, the NTA also said that fresh admit cards will be issued to these candidates.
With 53 centres of the 489 out of action from Saturday, the test faced no disruption due to any technical issue on Sunday. The third phase of the examination on August 17, 18 and 20 will be conducted as per the schedule shared earlier with candidates.
Exam staff should have shown more empathy with students: UGC chief
Stating that the common university entrance test-undergraduate (CUET-UG) is a mammoth exercise with tests being conducted for 61 subjects in 13 languages, UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday said the process in place has been designed keeping in mind the sanctity of the exams and the interests of students .
Kumar, while acknowledging glitches and that centre staff should have shown more empathy with students, raised another concern. “There were also reports and indications of sabotage in the process. NTA immediately swung into action and cancelled and postponed examinations in centres which witnessed such a possibility. Strict action will be taken against anyone involved in wilful sabotage of the process,” Kumar stated.
In its notification, NTA said in the second phase, exams scheduled between August 4 to 6 were deferred at a few centres due to administrative and technical reasons. “Earlier, we had announced the exams would be conducted from August 12 to 14. NTA had also given an option to the affected candidates to choose dates other than these dates in case the schedule was not suitable to them,” said Sadhana Parashar, senior director, NTA.
According to the NTA, 15,811 candidates requested a date different from August 12 to 14. Also, many have approached the NTA requesting not to schedule their examination between August 12 and 14 as a series of festivals are falling during this period. Several had requested for date or city change as the cities allotted to them in in the second phase (August 4 to 6) were not suitable to them.
With 14.9 lakh registrations, CUET is now the second-biggest entrance exam in the country, surpassing JEE-Mains’ average registration of nine lakh. On Thursday, the first shift of the exams was cancelled at several centres across 17 states and the second shift was washed out at all the 489 centres. On Friday, the exams at 50 centres were cancelled.
FacebookTwitterInstagramKOO APPYOUTUBE