Delhi: CUET Phase-II starts on false note

NEW DELHI: The second phase of the Common University Entrance Test, which began on Thursday, was marked by immense confusion. At some exam centres, notices said the day’s paper for the first time slot had been cancelled and rescheduled for August 12. In the same slot in other centres, the general aptitude test could not be held. And adding to the chaos, tests in the evening slot were cancelled after examines had sat waiting in the hall for almost three hours.
The parents and students whose general aptitude test wasn’t held on Thursday were agitated because the youngsters will now have to appear for the exam for the third time in a row. They were also clueless about when this would be held. The problem arose mainly for those who had opted for the aptitude test in English. For those writing the exam in Hindi, the test was held as scheduled.
Khushleen, a commerce student, was at Delhi University’s sports stadium exam centre. “The paper was cancelled on July 20 too. We were told that the general aptitude paper hadn’t been uploaded, so needed to reappear for the test. This is pure harassment,” said Khushleen, who had reached North Campus from Malviya Nagar.
Vaishali Anand too has to wait now. “We were only told that this exam would be held later. The question is: do we have to email the National Testing Agency for information on the test? Why isn’t NTA clearer in its communication? Are we supposed to concentrate on our exams or worry about logistics?” asked Anand.
Shweta, who wrote the general aptitude test in Hindi at the DU centre, noted, “Several students who had opted to do the English aptitude test first couldn’t sit for their other papers.” Due to this, students were seen leaving the centre around 1.30pm when the exam was supposed to end at 12.15pm.
Many reached the exam centre to learn the tests had been rescheduled. Mudassir Jaman said, “My friend had an exam at Aerocity but the centre had a notice announcing the exam would now be held on August 12.”
Second-slot students also found their exams cancelled after being given entry into the exam centre. NTA later issued a statement saying the rescheduled exams would be held between August 12 and14. Ankit Marothia had come all the way from Hisar to sit for his paper at the DU centre. “I had my first-slot exam in Chandigarh. Now, I have Delhi as the exam centre. When I was filling my form, I had selected Hisar and Sirsa as the first and second preference exam centres.”
For someone like Marothia, with the evening-slot exam cancelled, having to await a rescheduled test is stressful. On top of that he is clueless about which centre he will be allotted.
Social media was replete with complaints from students across the country. They tagged NTA and the Union education ministry in their posts. In the first phase of CUET, the major problem was NTA effecting last moment changes in exam centres without information to students.