In the run-up to the first-ever Common University Entrance Test (CUET) – a single entrance exam for undergraduate colleges – The Quint brings you a series of stories on the entrance. In this part, read about how the future of some students who missed their test because of a centre change, hangs in the balance. Read part 3 here, part 4 here and part 5 here.
“It’s not my daughter’s fault that she missed the test. It’s unfair that students have to pay for this,” said Ashok Kumar, father of 17-year-old Ritika Kumar. On Friday, 15 July, Ritika – like lakhs of other students – was supposed to give three exams as a part of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).
She was two hours late for the test as she had missed reading an email from the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding a change in the test centre. “I went to Dwarka sector 3 and was told that my centre had been moved to Delhi University,” she had told The Quint on Friday, as she stood outside the centre, hopeless.
On being asked if students who missed the test due to centre change will be given another chance, UGC Chairperson Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala told The Quint that “retest is conducted only for those students for whom test could not be held due to technical glitches in a centre. The retest will be conducted after 20 August.”
This means, Ritika and others like her who missed out on three tests that took place on day one, will not be given another chance. “I am not thinking of an alternative. I am quite depressed about this. I still hope I am given a chance to sit for the tests,” she said.
Ritika wants to study Political Science (Honours) at Delhi University. On 15 July, she missed her English, Political Science, Physical Education tests but did give the Geography test that was scheduled in the second half of the day.
On Friday, a few students reached the centre, panting, as they had to rush from Dwarka. They were allowed in till 9.30 am, and those who came after that were turned away from the gates of the centre. Many were panicking, and some parents too were agitated while others turned around hopeless.
‘They’re Ruining Children’s Future,’ Parents
Santosh Maurya, father of Anchal Maurya (18) who missed her exam on Friday, told The Quint, “Her future is at stake and the worst part is that it was not her fault.” Like Ritika, she missed the exam because she reached the Dwarka centre, only to be told that the centre had changed. By the time she reached the centre at Delhi University, she was told that it was too late.
He said that his daughter will consider other options such as going to an open university. Anchal has three younger sisters and would have been the first to go to college. Maurya said, “By attempting CUET, she was supposed to get into a good college and pave the way for her younger sisters but her journey now has so many roadblocks.”
‘My Friends Said The Test Went Well, I Feel Bad I Couldn’t Take It’
Nishtha Dhariwal, 17, was hoping to study B.Tech Computer Science at the Delhi University, even though she is also attempting the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) soon.
I am not as prepared for JEE as I was for CUET. My friends told me that their test went well. I wish I could have given it.Nishtha Dhariwal
Like Ritika, Nishtha too reached the wrong centre on 15 July. A resident of West Delhi’s Hari Nagar, she had first gone to Dwarka, after which it took her an hour to reach the centre in Delhi University. “I will have to consider going to a private college but everyone knows how expensive they are.”
Nistha reached the centre after 10:30 am, and when she asked the guards if she could enter, she received a stern 'no'. She has two papers on 19 July but she said that even if she writes both those papers well, she will not be able to get the course of her choice as English and Computer Science were mandatory for her.
She said that she had spent many hours preparing for CUET. “I even bought books for CUET preparation, which cost me Rs 500. We have spent money, time, and energy on this exam. We really hope they will give us another chance,” she said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)