Amid the delay in the results to the Common University Entrance Test – Undergraduate (CUET-UG), universities are working out a tentative timeframe to kickstart the session for the new entrants while all other programmes will begin classes in the first week of August.
Most central universities including Delhi University (DU), Ambedkar University of Delhi (AUD) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), among others, plan to start the new academic session this year in a staggered mode on account of the delay in the results, which faculty members said is likely to result in a teaching-learning gap for the new students joining colleges, who will start classes at least three weeks later than the rest of the semesters.
CUET-UG is conducted for entry into undergraduate programmes at central universities and other institutions participating in the exam. The exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) that has been dragged into a controversy over paper leaks and irregularities in NEET-UG and cancellation of several others.
Results to CUET-UG were slated to be out by June 30. However, it was delayed on account of issues being faced by the NTA.
The testing agency has also announced a re-test for 1000 CUET-UG candidates, who were not satisfied with the provisional answer keys published on July 7, wherein the agency stated that it will re-do the exam if grievances of candidates regarding the conduct of the exam were found to be correct. The re-test is scheduled for July 19. While results to the exam for all candidates are likely by July 22.
According to Prof Haneet Gandhi, dean, admissions, DU, the new session for all will begin on August 1, except for those joining in the first semester of college, who will tentatively begin classes from August 16 since the results are yet to be out. Around 1.75 lakh students have registered already for admission to the university.
“It takes around 10 days time post the declaration of results to ask students to fill in their preferences of college and courses on the university portal. After this a simulated rank is announced and then according to the scores, the first list is out, upon which admissions start. So, tentatively it will be after mid-August that new entrants will begin classes,” said Gandhi.
This staggered academic calendar, faculty members, said, created challenges for both teachers and students since by the time the third and fifth semesters are sitting for exams, classes for first semester are still going on.
“It is better that a synchronised calendar is followed where the session for all students including first semesters begins on the same date, so that there’s no lag. The staggered mode creates issues since all rooms are booked for conducting exams and classes for first semesters have to be shifted online. This leads to a teaching-learning gap, eventually making the new students suffer,” said Prof Abha D Habib, who teaches physics at Miranda College.
Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) also raised concerns on such delays and credibility of results released by the NTA.
“It was during the covid-19 pandemic that staggered mode of classes was used since it was an extraordinary situation. But, such delays in announcing results by a testing agency is not called for and makes students suffer who completed their class 12 exams in March and five months since they are yet to join a course. Given the scenario, the admissions for first semester are likely to be delayed to last week of August, which means loss of crucial time for students,” said A K Bhagi, DUTA president.
Now, he said, the NTA has also announced a re-test so the results are most likely to be out after that only.
“The government must re-consider the CUET exam in face of such challenges and devise a different method for admission to undergraduate courses such as calculating percentile, which equates marks for state boards as well,” he added.
At Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) too, admissions to Postgraduate (PG) courses are going on currently while the session is to begin in the first week of August.
There are 1,141 undergraduate seats across programmes at AUD, admissions to which are based on CUET-UG scores.
“The academic calendar will have to be adjusted for the new entrants since results are yet to be out,” said an AUD official.
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