SHILLONG, MAY 17: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has demanded the state government to take action against the manner in which the CUET UG 2024 examination was conducted at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).

In a letter to the state education minister Rakkam A Sangma, chairman of the KSU education cell Pynkmenlang Sanmiet said, “(We) urge your esteemed office to take immediate action to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. This includes providing better facilities, such as clear signage, adequate seating arrangements, and functioning biometric systems, to facilitate a smooth examination process. Additionally, increased security personnel should be put in place to address overcrowding and ensure the safety and well-being of all applicants.”

The CUET examination at NEHU witnessed a chaotic and distressing situation affecting thousands of students on Wednesday.

“As a Union which is committed to the welfare and rights of students, we are troubled by the lack of organization and infrastructure that led to such a challenging experience for the applicants. The applicants had to endure hours of waiting without proper direction or signage to guide them to their exam halls,” Sanmiet said.

He said that the confusion was further exacerbated as the admit card provided by NTA stipulates that the exam center is in the NEHU Cluster Building; however, NEHU set up two examination centers in the Non-Science and Science cluster classrooms, without properly and timely notifying the candidates as to which hall their roll number is assigned to.

He said that the delay in the commencement of the English subject examination, caused by the malfunctioning biometric system, resulted in students standing in the rain and in a stampede-like situation for extended periods, leading to many candidates fainting and needing medical attention.

“It was disappointing that the exam, scheduled for 3 pm, could only proceed and students were finally able to enter the examination room around 5.15 pm after NEHU received clearance from the NTA to conduct the examination without mandatory biometric registration,” the KSU leader said.

“This is an evident lack of preparedness by both the state government and the university to host such a large-scale examination, particularly regarding the security measures to manage the crowd. The unacceptable delay in starting the examination, which exposed students to adverse weather conditions, underscores the urgent need for improved planning and coordination,” he added.

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