Srinagar: On Wednesday, scores of parents thronged Srinagar’s Press Colony to protest against their exam centres being located outside their Jammu Kashmir. Joined by aspirants, the protesting parents demanded a prompt resolution to their issue at the earliest.
Scores of Kashmiri students appearing in the Common University Entrance Test 2023 are aghast as their exam centres have been designated in Punjab, hundreds of miles away from Kashmir valley.
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET (UG) – 2023) was introduced for admission into all UG Programmes in all Central Universities for academic session 2023-24 under the Ministry of Education, (MoE).
Speaking to a reporter, a student Azhar Amin said that despite the fact that he did not prefer to attend the entrance test outside Jammu Kashmir, the National Testing Agency (NTA), conducting the exams, has allotted Punjab as the Centre of Examination.
“At the time of the filling of the form in April, the students were asked to choose among various exam centres. Most of the Kashmiri students I know of had chose Pulwama which means there were at least two designated centres in Kashmir, but despite that most of the Kashmiri students have been allotted centres outside Kashmir,” another student said.
A shopkeeper who fills educational forms throughout the year for various courses said, “I have filled around hundred forms. The majority of those candidates hail from financially disadvantaged families. All of them have been designated centres outside Kashmir valley. Covering the costs of traveling outside Kashmir becomes an obstacle,” said Mohammed Haris, who wished his name to be changed.
