Common Test: It should inspire others to follow suit

Given how different committees on higher education reform and even the New Education Policy have pushed for SAT-style entrance examinations for university admissions, Delhi University (DU) moving towards it should inspire others to follow suit. While the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way education has been approached in the country so far, many basic challenges remain. Colleges still consider board results as the basis for admission, which, in turn, has led to the anathema of grade inflation, with students scoring near 100% each year. As a result, many colleges are forced to post a 100% cut-off in the initial admission rounds, putting their undergraduate courses out of the reach of tens of thousands of aspirants. However, that seems set to change; as per a report by The Indian Express, DU is considering giving 50% weightage to scores in the Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET).

Though the CUCET, administered by the Central University of Rajasthan, has been around for a decade now, only 17 central and four state universities admit students through this route. Besides, this list doesn’t include any big names like DU or BHU. So, DU’s move may urge other universities towards this system. On its part, the Centre should consider conducting the CUCET multiple times in a year, allowing students a chance to better their scores. A ranking system based on CUCET scores will also reveal student preferences and push universities to compete to attract the brightest students.