New Delhi: UGC is preparing to set up an expert committee to merge the National Level Engineering Exam (JEE Main) and Medical Admission Exam (NEET) with the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) from the next academic year.
According to UGC Chairperson, M Jagadesh Kumar the step to merge JEE (Main) and NEET with the greater purview of CUET will lessen the burden on students. This initiative will be taken in line with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from the next session.
Informing about the entrance exam, he said, JEE (Main) is the gateway examination for admission to premier engineering institutes in the country. While the NEET is held to shortlist candidates for admission to UG medical programs in medical colleges in India.
He added that the CUET-UG, which is presently in progress, is expected to be held at least twice a year. With the initiative “one nation, one entrance test”, students will no longer have to prepare for different entrance examinations for admission.
As of now, there are three major entrance exams in the country, which are NEET, JEE, and CUET. The majority of students take at least two of these tests, and some may even appear for all three entrance exams.
JEE syllabus covers subjects like Maths, Physics, and Chemistry while Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are covered in NEET. Since these two subjects are common in CUET, Kumar questioned why students should sit for multiple entrance exams.
CUET, NEET & JEE: When will Exams be Combined?
The UGC chief has made it clear that the plan has not yet been finalized. He wants to make sure the NTA and all other relevant stakeholders are well-prepared before the new common admission test is introduced to students.
The UGC will first create an expert committee to review the current examination procedures for admission to UG and PG courses and will also consider the potential for an integrated, single CUET and make recommendations.
Following that, these proposals will be made available for stakeholder feedback, and the recommendations will then be finalized, Kumar added.
The UGC chief said that when you look at the time frame, the discussion has just started, and if it is planned to be held next year, there's still one year's time, which will mentally prepare the students and other stakeholders.
Further, he mentioned that the CUET exam might be held more than once from next year. Conducting the exam twice a year can bring opportunities for students to write it a second time and get admission to their preferred choice of subjects.
The UGC chairman said that as the UGC and NTA have not imposed any restrictions on the number of attempts, this will give aspirants several opportunities to show up for the entrance exam and not miss any possibilities.
The NTA will be instructed to closely adhere to the class 12 syllabus for all disciplines, including the courses connected to JEE and NEET, and the new and redefined CUET-UG would also follow the NCERT syllabus. As a result, Kumar claimed that students will perform better and experience less stress.
Pointing out the fact that NEET and JEE have contributed significantly to the coaching culture in India. If the commission sticks to the syllabus then students can prepare well for their board exams and focus on becoming a good learners that will help them ace the CUET.
Controversy Concerning the CUET's Poor Conduct
Due to technical difficulties, the NTA has come under controversy for being unable to effectively conduct the CUET-UG 2022 phase two exam at a number of exam centres.
A concern among students is that integrating these three significant admission tests into one will create more pressure on the NTA. The UGC chairman, however, said that the NTA had understood from the events of August 4 and had already fixed all of its errors.
Additionally, the NTA will now set up specific exam centres across the nation that will be furnished with computers and other necessities, which will be controlled by the NTA.
These NTA exam centres will be used specifically for these exams in addition to other well-known centres in the country. Moreover, the exam centres can be utilised as training facilities, when the NTA is not holding any exams, he said.
Government Interested to Merge NAAC & NBA
In addition to this, the union government is now eager to merge the accreditation (NAAC) and rating (NBA) bodies after strongly suggesting the merger of JEE and NEET with the CUET.
One of the recommendations of NEP 2020 is the creation of a single accreditation and ranking system. The MoE has set up a committee to do so under the leadership of Bhushan Patwardhan, chairman of the executive committee of the NAAC.
Informing about the initiative, the officials informed that the move is significant as it follows the UGC chairman's recent announcement that the NEET, JEE Main, and CUET-UG exams would be combined.
Furthermore, the government is also planning to combine AICTE and UGC into the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) which will be a single, all-encompassing higher education regulatory body.
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