NTA Reschedules CMAT Exam For Kashmiri Students

Srinagar: After outcry by valley based students, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has now decided to set up separate exam centres in Srinagar for Kashmiri students who have applied for the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) scheduled on January 28.

Earlier the exam conducting body NTA had set up exam centres for all the candidates in Jammu division which was likely to cost students dearly. The students were not in position to reach to Jammu in wake of the closure of Jammu-Srinagar highway for six days.

The exam centres have been shifted to Valley a day after Greater Kashmir reported about the inconvenience caused to the students by NTA by designating their exam centres in Jammu.

Now the National testing agency has issued a notification wherein the Valley based aspirants have been informed that their CMAT exam will held separately on January 29 and their centres will be allotted in Srinagar..

“The CMAT exam has been rescheduled for only affected candidates belonging to Srinagar who were allotted exam centres in Jammu. The candidates will now have their exam centres in Srinagar on January 29 from 9.30 am to 12.39 pm,” reads a notification issued by NTA. The NTA notification states that only 187 candidates belong to Srinagar region.

The NTA has agreed to change the exam centres after the state administration took up the matter with the concerned authorities in MHRD.

“The centre details in Srinagar will be informed on January 27. The candidates are advised to remain in constant touch with the NTA CMAT website and check their email or SMS for further updates in the matter,” the notification reads.

The CMAT candidates from Kashmir have extended their gratitude to the state administration for prompt redressal of their grievance. ‘It is a big relief for the students as we were not in position to reach Jammu in the prevailing weather conditions and costly Air fares,” said Arif an aspirant.

Recently, Kashmiri candidates set to appear in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) on February 8 had also demanded that their exam centres should be set up within the Valley.

The demand was put forth owing to the inclement weather which results in frequent closure of Jammu-Srinagar highway.

Even though a letter was sent to the office of Chief Secretary from the office of divisional commissioner but the issue is yet to be resolved, leaving candidates in despair.

GATE is an All-India examination administered and conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and seven Indian Institutes of Technology on behalf of the National Coordinating Board – GATE, Department of Education in ministry of human resources development (MHRD).