OBC students’ body demands common CUET UG, PG counselling 2022 for university admissions

NEW DELHI: All India OBC Students’ Association (AIOBCSA) is demanding a common web counselling for UG and PG admissions 2022 through Common University Test (CUET) in various central, state, and other participating universities to reduce the financial burden on poor students. The students’ body wrote to the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to direct the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct common or free CUET UG counselling 2022 as well as CUET PG 2022 counselling for various programmes.

AIOBCSA argued that each university is taking separate registration, counselling fees for admissions 2022 which is creating a ‘huge’ burden on students from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories. “Students need to apply to different courses in different universities with a CUET score and pay separate application fees for each course. Universities are collecting counselling fees of Rs 350 to Rs 600 per course. Hence it is creating a huge burden on the students of SC, ST, OBC and EWS,” AIOBCSA said in the letter addressed to Pradhan.

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The students’ body demanded common CUET UG and PG counselling 2022 for various programmes in central and participating state Universities under single window in different phases with choice of options to students. “This will reduce the burden on the students from poor and marginalized communities,” it added.

AIOBCSA further said that if the option of common counselling is not possible for the universities, they can provide free counselling to students. “If common CUET UG and PG counselling is not possible to conduct then the universities can offer free web counselling for admissions. The intention of conducting a common entrance exam will be defeated if such exams create hurdles for students due to the financial burden on the students,” the OBC students’ organisation said.