New Delhi, June 28: Amidst a heated controversy over alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced fresh dates for canceled and postponed examinations on Friday night. The University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) is now scheduled to be held from August 21 to September 4.
The UGC-NET, initially conducted on June 18, was canceled following reports received by the education ministry suggesting that the exam’s integrity had been compromised. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed that the question paper had been leaked on the darknet and circulated via the Telegram app. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the matter.
The UGC-NET is crucial for determining eligibility for Junior Research Fellowships, assistant professorships, and admission to PhD courses. This year, the exam, which was conducted offline and on a single day, will now revert to its previous format of a Computer Based Test (CBT) spread over a fortnight.
Additionally, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) UGC-NET, postponed due to concerns over potential irregularities, will now take place from July 25 to July 27. The CSIR UGC-NET is essential for PhD admissions in disciplines such as Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.
The National Common Entrance Test (NCET) for admission to the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), initially postponed just hours before its scheduled start on June 12, will now be conducted on July 10. This test is held for select central and state universities or institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs, and government colleges.
In response to the uproar over the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination NEET-UG and the PhD entrance NET, the Centre last week formed a panel to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.
While the NEET-UG is under scrutiny for several alleged irregularities, including paper leaks, the UGC-NET was canceled due to reported breaches in exam integrity. The CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG exams were also canceled as precautionary measures.
The rescheduling of these exams aims to restore confidence in the examination process and ensure that future exams are conducted without any compromises on their integrity. The NTA and the education ministry are working closely to implement stricter measures to prevent any further breaches and ensure a fair evaluation process for all candidates.
