A state of despair has set among hundreds of students after the National Testing Agency (NTA) designated exam centres for Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-2023 for Kashmiri students outside J&K.
The NTA conducts the national-level test for admission to undergraduate programmes into Central Universities and other participating universities, institutions and autonomous colleges.
Dozens of students assembled outside Press Enclave in Srinagar, saying that the decision has led to issues for those students who come from impoverished backgrounds.
“How can I afford the travel expenses. The decision has only added to the burden on students, who were already reeling under the challenges of preparing for the highly competitive entrance test,” said a student.
According to reports, a majority of candidates hail from financially disadvantaged families. The students said they had given their preference for exam centre within Kashmir but were left in a state of shock after they came to know their exam centre was allotted outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Aggrieved students held protest at the Srinagar Press Enclave and demanded a prompt resolution to the issue. Their parents also appealed for the immediate relocation of their children's exam centers to Kashmir.
"The decision to move the exam centres outside Jammu and Kashmir not only places an undue financial burden on families already struggling to make ends meet but also exposes their children to unnecessary hardship and exhaustion," the protesting parents said.