UGC-NET DOUBLE WHAMMY: WHEN A SPECIALLY-ABLED GIRL BEAT ODDS TO WRITE EXAM, ONLY TO FIND IT CANCELLED
The Union education ministry's decision to cancel the UGC-NET (University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test) held on June 18 over concerns of integrity in the aftermath of the NEET medical entrance paper leak left some 900,000 aspirants in distress. Among them were individuals with disabilities, who endure additionalâand often overlookedâchallenges while appearing for such exams. One of them is Kavya Mukhija, a 25-year-old from New Delhi who is determined to overcome her physical limitations and systemic inadequacies to realise her dream to be an academic.
Kavya suffers from Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, a rare genetic disorder that weakens muscles from birth and makes standing or moving around without assistance difficult. The condition, though, has never hindered her. "I have never taken life for granted, but it is sad that even when laws are in place, our system takes disabled people for granted," she says.
A day of disappointment
On June 18, Kavya set out from her Lajpat Nagar home for the NET exam centre in Rohini, a school. A day that began with hope soon turned into an ordeal. The last stretch of the road leading to the centre was potholed and broken, and arduous for her wheelchair to navigate without assistance. Despite multiple requests, she says, her car was allowed inside the school compound after considerable delay.
Inside, the obstacles continued. "The corridor leading to the classroom had a small ramp, and four people had to lift my wheelchair to get it onto the floor," says Kavya. The classroom itself was ill-equipped for the specially-abled, with benches attached to desks. The exam supervisors eventually allowed Kavya to use the teacher's desk to attempt her paper.
As per rules, Kavya's mother, her primary caregiver, was not allowed inside the exam centre, adding to the distress. "What else could go wrong while appearing for such a crucial exam? I endured all physical difficulties to write the exam, only to see it being cancelled," says Kavya, who must now summon all her courage and grit to reappear for NET, the national entrance for those keen on a career in academics and research. The government has announced that the exam will be reconducted between August 21 and September 4.
Trial by fire
Kavya's tribulations haven't been restricted to this year's NET. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she had faced similar hindrances while taking the entrance exam in Jaipur for a master's in psychology. "The exam centre did have a ramp, but it was as steep as a rocket. The very sight of it was frightening," she says. Consequently, Kavya, wheelchair in toto, had to be lifted and carried to her examination room in the building's basement. "I was terrified. Worse still, no Covid protocols were in place. Most candidates in the room weren't even wearing their masks properly," she shudders to recall.
Another specially-abled candidate faced a similar predicament and was carried down a different flight of stairs by his father, she says. "The very sight of it was scary. The stairs were slippery and it was raining. What's the point of mentioning our disability in the application form and providing proof of it if exam conductors cannot ensure us smooth accessibility?" she reasons.
Back in 2019, during the Delhi University Entrance Test (DUET), Mudita Jagota, another specially-abled candidate, had found herself in a fix. "My exam centre was two hours away from home. As routine practice, my parents would visit these centres beforehand. When my dad checked the centre, he found it partially accessible. The classroom was on the ground floor but the doorway was too narrow to let a wheelchair through. There was a large step that my wheelchair couldn't navigate. The washrooms were on the opposite side of the building. I had to take the exam in a small cubicle too cramped to fit in my wheelchair," says Jagota, 25, who cleared DUET but preferred the Jamia Millia Islamia University instead and is now pursuing a PhD in counsellor education and supervision from the Michigan State University, United States.
Systemic insensitivity
Bitter experiences like these highlight the systemic insensitivity towards specially-abled individuals. Despite the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandating accessibility for disabled individuals to all public places, the starkly different reality exposes the gap between policy and implementation.
Kavya expresses her frustration by demanding penalties for non-compliance with the disability laws and greater representation of the disabled in decision-making committees. "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act assures persons with disabilities the right to equality and equal opportunities in life with dignity and respect. But it is not implemented on the ground. People with disabilities are taken very casually," she rues.
A call to action
Kavya's call for a level-playing field resonates with many differently-abled students who have faced similar struggles. The cancellation of NET has added to their collective despair. Kavya, who overcame numerous stumbling blocks to appear for the exam, now faces the prospect of going through it all over again should she decide to reappear. "If I am an equal citizen, why am I not being provided equal opportunities?" she asks.
While society at large needs to be sensitised, the government's role in ensuring the integrity of the examination process itself has come under scrutiny. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has assured that India's entrance exam system will be reformed to make it totally foolproof. While criticism continues to pour in over how national entrances have been managed so far, the debate among the specially-abled goes far beyond to whether the system will ever be made more enabling for them. It's a long battle ahead, but they are determined. As Kavya declares: "No way am I giving up on my ambition of becoming a teacher."
2024-07-04T13:05:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd