UGC-NET: Why exam cancelled, number of students affected, what next and more

Amid the ongoing fiasco over NEET-UG, the central government on Wednesday night cancelled the UGC-NET due to the ‘compromised integrity’ of the examination. The exam cancellation has led to a political slugfest, with the opposition Congress alleging that the Narendra Modi-led government cannot even conduct an examination without “leaks and frauds”.

Here’s all you need to know about the UGC-NET (University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test) fiasco.

What is UGC-NET

The UGC-NET is conducted for the appointment of assistant professors and admission to PhD in Indian universities and colleges. It also determines the eligibility of Indian nationals for the award of junior research fellowship.

When was the exam conducted?

The examination was conducted on June 18, 2024, at 1,205 exam centres in 317 cities across the country.

This year’s UGC-NET exam took place for:

1) Award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor.

2) Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.

3) Admission to Ph.D. in 83 subjects.

No of students appeared for exam

A total of 11,21,225 registered candidates comprising 6,35,587 females, 4,85,579 males and 59 third gender candidates.

Out of the total registered candidates, 81 per cent appeared for the exam.

Why was the exam cancelled?

The Ministry of Education said the University Grants Commission received certain inputs on the examination from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. These inputs prima facie indicate that the integrity of the aforesaid examination may have been compromised. Therefore, the exam was cancelled to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity in the examination process.

What next?

The Ministry of Education said that a fresh examination shall be conducted and information related to it will be shared.

Eligibility

According to the UGC-NET website, candidates who have secured at least 55 per cent marks (without rounding off) in Masters Degree or equivalent examination from universities/institutions recognised by UGC in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science & Applications, Electronic Science etc are eligible for this test.

CBI to conduct probe

The ministry said that for a thorough probe, the matter is being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Congress slams PM Modi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of ruining the country’s education and recruitment system, and asked what kind of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ this is, where the question paper gets leaked every day.

In a post on X in Hindi, Kharge claimed that the expenditure on PM Modi’s “Pariksha pe Charcha” has increased by 175 per cent in six years, adding, “The showering of knowledge on students during the “exam” by the head of a government which cannot conduct a nationwide examination without rigging is dishonesty.”

What government says

A senior government official said that even though no complaints were received, a suo motu action was taken to protect students’ interests.

“No complaints were received but the inputs we received from agencies indicated that the integrity of the exam has been compromised. The action was taken suo motu to safeguard the interests of the students,” PTI quoted Education Ministry Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal as saying.

However, Jaiswal refused to share details of the inputs received from agencies.