The chaos surrounding the Common University Entrance Test – Undergraduate (CUET-UG) in Meghalaya shows no signs of improvement as, once again, Education Minister Rakkam Sangma had to write to the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) requesting that the exams be deferred.
Recently, students were allotted centres in different states despite opting for Shillong. The Education Minister said that some students have already left to appear for the exams.
Since the introduction of CUET for admission to courses in all central universities, starting from the 2022 academic year, Meghalaya has been given an exemption after the state government cited geographical challenges, far-flung locations, limited digital connectivity and inadequate infrastructure. This exemption does not, however, apply to Meghalaya students hoping to secure admission to colleges outside the state.
Last year, the NTA certified 26 centres in Meghalaya but the one at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) here faced serious connectivity problems that led it to a debacle.
For this year, the NTA had requested the state government to identify centres, which the state did, Sangma said. There are over 200 additional computer nodes available to support the smooth conduct of CUET-UG 2025 within Meghalaya, the department said in a submission to the NTA.
The list of these proposed venues has already been shared with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the agency responsible for vetting such centres.
“TCS has scheduled physical inspections of the identified locations. They will be here by tomorrow or the day after and the process is expected to take a few days,” added Sangma.
In light of this, the government has requested that the CUET-UG 2025 examination dates for Meghalaya be deferred until the additional centres are verified and readied. This would ensure that all candidates from Meghalaya can be accommodated within the state, thereby avoiding the challenges associated with long-distance travel.
Sangma reiterated that the NTA should appoint a full-fledged nodal agency and communicate in advance so that necessary steps can be taken to avoid inconvenience for students. “Had the NTA informed us in time, we could have taken all the required measures,” stated Sangma.
When asked why the state cannot have a permanent solution, Sangma replied that this is not a state decision, but the government is working on an alternative by establishing a state university. “Colleges affiliated with the state university won’t have to undergo CUET. That’s one alternative. It is the prerogative of the NTA to conduct CUET, so we can’t do anything about that,” the minister said.
He also informed that some colleges have applied for affiliation with Captain Williamson Sangma State University, and the process is ongoing.
