Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy has strongly opposed the announcement of University Grants Commission that a mandatory Common University Entrance Test (CUET) will be conducted for admissions to all courses, including undergraduate programmes, in the Central Universities from the coming academic year.
He said that CUET, like the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET), will adversely affect the opportunities of students from Tamil Nadu and many other States. It will particularly affect those from underprivileged sections of the society, he said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
A ‘one country, one entrance examination’ approach will be detrimental to students studying in different syllabus in different States, he said. It was unreasonable to expect students to undergo another entrance examination despite studying hard and clearing the Class XII examinations. The introduction of CUET will only end up benefiting private coaching centres and the students who can afford them as being witnessed in the case of NEET now, Mr. Ponmudy said.
