MUMBAI: The brouhaha over the optional common entrance test (CET) for admission to jun-ior colleges may well end up being an academic debate as a large percentage of students may not take it at all, according to a survey.
And those who may attempt it are not really tearing their hair over its preparation. But a small portion, about 11% of respondents, said they had enrolled for special coaching to prepare for the CET.
The optional CET was necessitated after the state cancelled class X exams due to the pandemic. The CET scores will be given preference in the first round of FYJC admissions.
While the matter is being heard in the Bombay high court, a survey conducted by TOI last week saw close to 40% respondents stating that they do not plan to take the test and another 26.6% are wondering whether to take it or not, and a lot of them added the final court hearing would help them eventually decide. Out of the 1,800 respondents, 588 said they would take the test.
Many students who have migrated to other places, would be forced to return to take the offline CET, a point that the state did not consider in its survey. Close to 30% of the respondents said they would have to return to take the test.
A parent of an ICSE student summed up what many others feel. “It is absolutely unfair and wrong for the government to expect ICSE students to study the SSC portion. There is no direction provided. Students are traumatized and feeling pressured.” The parent added, “Also how safe is it for them to do exams offline when there is no relief from the pandemic...We feel that education is something that is given least priority in this pandemic. As parents we feel cheated and totally exhausted.”
Yet, the answer to the question on whether students would take the CET or not was a helpless “maybe”. A student from the Cambridge board who donned a PPE kit and went to take the board exam in February asked, “I have already taken the board exam. Why are we put through another exam?” Another student added, “Students from other boards will have to study the whole portion in a month. The SSC have been studying this since March 2020. How are we on a fair footing?”
Apart from that, students who would have dropped certain subjects since class VIII would have to go back to picking the basics. While several students have decided to stay back in their school, many commerce aspirants know that getting into a college after class XII is tough as the aspirants outnumber the seats. For instance, Palash Jain from Cambridge International School, who scored 99.8% in ICSE and wants to join a commerce college and pursue CA, will be taking the CET. “Despite the fact that I studied very hard and I did so much self-studying as there was only online schooling, I am upset that I still have to prepare for the CET. It is very unfortunate for all of us.”
