After DU, JNU to Hold Admissions Through CUET, Teachers & Students' Unions Oppose Move

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) academic council recently decided to hold admissions through the Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET) from the next academic session 2022-23 onwards. Currently, JNU enrols students through JNUEE. The move to adopt a new entry gateway has not gone down well with the administration. JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) and JNU students’ union (JNUSU) have expressed their opposition to the decision.

Many students also took to various social media platforms to express their dissatisfaction over the issue. Some have also asked clarity from the university, “if PG admissions will also be conducted through the CUET.”

During the deliberations in the Academic Council, a large number of members including the Deans of Schools, Centre Chairpersons, and External Members of the Council emphasized that “CUET would provide a level playing field to numerous eligible students from across the country reducing the burden of taking several entrance examinations”.

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In an official statement, administration said the decision to adopt CUCET was “overwhelmingly endorsed” in the meeting. But, the JNU Teachers’ association, says otherwise. The 159th Academic Council meeting held recently backed the decision to use CUCET for admissions, which was taken in the 157th meeting held on March 22, the university said.

JNU Academic Council decides that JNU admissions for different academic programs in 2022-2023 academic session will be through Common University Entrance Examinaton (CUET) to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). https://t.co/ItJh6QrHA9

“During the deliberations in the Academic Council, a large number of members including the Deans of Schools, Centre Chairpersons, and External Members of the council emphasized that CUCET would provide a level playing field to numerous eligible students from across the country….” it added.

Denying these claims JNUTA said that that their was no overwhelming consensus for the decision inlieu many were also allowed to even put forward their views over the decision. “After ending the meeting without allowing members to speak despite their raised hands, it is ironic that the University administration has persisted in shamelessly releasing a press note claiming ‘overwhelming ‘endorsement for all decisions taken at the Academic Council meeting held today,” the JNUTA said.

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Soon after the recent announcement, several student unions also came out opposing the move. The critics have claimed that the university VC has “imposed” the decision on the students.

JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh alleged the CUET decision has been “imposed” in an autocratic way. “Yet again, the JNU Academic Council crossed all limits to bulldoze decision making process. Autocratic ways of imposing decisions,” she tweeted.

Another twitter user claimed that,

Calling the move ‘authoritarian’ JNUSU wrote to the chairperson stating that this would lead to loss of autonomy and transparency.

They said the members of the Academic Council have reported that there was no discussion on CUET during the Academic Council meeting in March last year. “More importantly, when the additional agenda was sent on Jan 10, 2022, 111 faculty members submitted their opinion requesting the Academic Council to refer the agenda item for discussion at the School (BOS) and Centre (Faculty Committee) for further deliberations. Not only did the Vice Chancellor not place this letter on the table, he also did not allow people to raise apprehensions with respect to the adoption of CUET,” they said.

They said that even though members raised issues about the unique nature of the University and their respective centres, the VC did not allow their concerns any space and muted the speakers abruptly.

— With inputs from PTI

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