RSS affiliated body raises concerns over CUET-UG answer key; demands reforms in exam system
The comments from organisation, headed by Dina Nath Batra, came after many students who took CUET-UG alleged several answers were wrong in key released by NTA.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas on Tuesday raised concerns over the alleged discrepancies in the provisional answer key of CUET-UG, and demanded reforms in the competitive examination system in the country with continuous feedback from stakeholders.
The comments from the organisation, headed by Dina Nath Batra, came a day after many students who appeared for the Common University Entrance Test for undergraduate admissions (CUET-UG) alleged several answers were wrong in the key released by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The organisation also raised concerns over making the CUET-UG a single window for undergraduate admissions to all universities in India.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Devendra Singh, national convener, competitive exams, shiksha sanskriti utthan nyas, said that the recent discrepancies in the answer keys of CUET-UG is a matter of “serious content” and which highlights the structural flaws of competitive examinations.
“First of all it is necessary to consider whether there is a need to include all the state and private universities of the country except the central universities in CUET - UG and PG examination or not. The states have their own circumstances, students there have different expectations and the curriculum, availability of various courses.”
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“Besides, resources in state universities and private universities are also different. Therefore, keeping in view the diversity of the country, its huge population, inter-university variation etc, it would not be prudent to opt for a single examination for the entire university system of the country,” he said.
On the matter of discrepancies in CUET-UG provisional answer key Singh said that the institution or agency conducting the examination should seriously introspect as to why despite having the resources, they are not able to give correct answers to 100-50 questions. He said that the problem of faulty answer keys is prevalent from the Union Public Service Commission to the Staff Selection Commission of the states.
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He recommended that learned and renowned academicians and professors should be roped in the entrance examination process and should be made mandatory for them to participate in the duty of question paper preparation and examination process. “There is a lot of difference in the standards of who is qualified to set question papers and who is not. The agency conducting exams should also review outdated standards. Qualified professors, other experts, and retired scholars should also be given adequate opportunities to contribute to the creation of objective question banks,” he said.
The organization further demands reforms in the examination system, standard of question papers, deficiencies in examination conduct, problems of students etc. and said that “a system of continuous feedback from teachers, parents and students” has to be put in place.
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“The examination system as a whole should be reviewed from time to time by renowned scholars of the country who have deep understanding of that system so that these systems can develop naturally and become exemplary instead of any revolutionary change happening overnight,” Singh said in the statement.
