Universities can conduct their tests to fill vacant seats after CUET: UGC
The University Grants Commission, in its recent declaration, has said that universities can conduct their entrance tests to fill the vacant seats if the seats remain vacant even after the Common University Entrance Test. This decision is taken with the view that it will provide flexibility to the institutions of higher education in managing admissions and ensure that the seats are not left vacant.
While CUET was introduced to streamline admission to undergraduate programs in all central universities, it is not exactly an easy task. Implementation has been full of problems related to logistics and discrepancies in testing. Notwithstanding these challenges, CUET has been one of the major steps toward having a uniform admission process for central universities in India.
Though the academic session is heading forward, it has been reported by some Universities that even after multiple rounds of counseling and admission done via CUET, some seats remain vacant. The UGC responded that the institutions are now granted the autonomy to conduct additional entrance tests to fill up such vacant seats.
"This measure is undertaken so that the universities should be free to fill up all their seats and no academic opportunity should be lost because of procedural delays or handicaps", said the UGC official. He also made it clear that such entrance tests must meet the required academic standards of the universities and remain in tune with the general guidelines prescribed by the UGC.
The decision has been hailed by several varsities who have been struggling to fill all their seats through CUET. These institutions are of the view that their tests would enable them to reach a larger number of students and help them fill up their academic programs.
The students who failed to seek admission to these colleges through CUET now have a second chance to apply and secure a seat for themselves in their chosen courses through these tests conducted by the university. But UGC has cautioned the universities to ensure that there is transparency and no discrimination during the tests to safeguard the sanctity of admissions.
The adaptiveness of UGC is reflective of the changing education landscape. It was undertaken to ensure that while giving adequate autonomy to universities, the overall objectives are not lost in the manner CUET is.
