BOPEE’s ‘inexpedient’ decision disadvantageous for students

Both the officials and the students attribute this to the clash of dates of AMU entrance test with that of state’s Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by BOPEE. The students fear that if the pattern continues, AMU would be within few years bereft of any Kashmiri students, especially in science stream.
“On an average we used to admit around 80 Kashmiri students in life sciences but during the past 2 years the numbers have drastically gone down to around 15,” said an AMU official. “At first we were perturbed due to sudden decline but later we found that the authorities in the state have put CET on the same date and students are unable to appear in our entrance test.”
AMU entrance test for admission to Bachelor of Sciences is held on the 31 May every year and since 2012-13 session, Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) has also kept the 30 and 31 May as the dates for CET.
Going by the huge response AMU used to get from Kashmiri students, the university had few years back established one entrance centre at Srinagar. “During 2011-12 entrance test, I alongwith 24 boys were selected in bachelors programme,” said Amood Gulzar, a graduate student at AMU. “And last year only one Kashmiri student got admission in Life Sciences. Presence of Kashmiri students in science is speedily dwindling here.”
At present the number of Kashmiri students from senior secondary to PhD level at AMU is around 2300 with a large chunk comprising of science students.
This year the admission process is continuing and the university has got around 1500 forms from Kashmir. “Last year too we got 3200 forms, but majority of BSc aspirants don’t appear in the test due to their own state level exam,” said the official.
According to students, AMU provides number of benefits to Kashmiris. “There is one percent reserved quota for Kashmiri students and they can also avail the seats under far-flung category,” said Gulzar. “The students admitted here can later avail the seats under 50 percent internal quota in Masters, PhD and other degrees. Free coaching for competitive examinations like JEE, campus placements, international seminars and research facility in UGC and PG are some of the highlights.”
The biggest benefit remains the examination test centre in Srinagar, which has enabled the Kashmiri students to appear in the exams in their own state. Being a predominantly Muslim university the Kashmiris are also considered to be the safest in AMU.
Worried over the prospects of losing space in one of the premier universities, Kashmiri students have appealed the state government to change the date of CET so that it doesn’t clash with other exams thus marring the chances of Kashmiris. The students are also thinking to start a signature campaign to be submitted to Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who himself is an alumni of AMU.
Besides, Syed, separatist leaders like Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Late Abdul Gani Lone are all pass-outs of AMU and so are number of bureaucrats, scientists, professors and vice chancellors.
Meanwhile BOPEE is in no mood to alter CET dates and is all set to undertake the exams on the said date. “May is the month of exams and somehow there is always an apprehension of it being near to some other exams. Our date is best suited for students as it also falls on Saturday and Sunday,” said G H Tantray chairman BOPEE. “We finalized the date in February, booked around 50 test centres and completed other formalities for the huge exam. To change the dates as of now is not feasible.”
CET entrance test date is also a day earlier to AIIMS MBBS entrance test that falls on 1 June, thus preventing Kashmiri students to undertake the test for which the centre is at New Delhi.