Important: UGC-NET Cancelled, Centre Says “Exam Integrity Compromised”
Important: UGC-NET Cancelled, Centre Says "Exam Integrity Compromised"
On Tuesday, more than 9 lakh applicants took the exam.
Only one day after it was scheduled, the Ministry of Education canceled the National Testing Agency’s UGC-NET exam, raising concerns about the growing controversy surrounding NEET. The exam, which determines eligibility for junior research fellowships and assistant professor positions in universities and colleges, attracted over 9 lakh students.
Congresswoman Priyanka Gandhi Vadra responded to the announcement right once, denouncing the government’s “laxity” and demanding that accountability be established.
The University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) was administered in two shifts nationwide on Tuesday in the OMR (pen and paper) format, according to a release from the Education Ministry.
On June 19, 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) provided the University Grants Commission (UGC) with some input regarding the examination. According to the report, “These inputs prima facie suggest that the integrity of the aforementioned examination may have been compromised.”
In order to “maintain the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process,” the ministry said that the June 2024 exam would be canceled. A new exam will be scheduled at a later date.
Although there have been rumors that the exam paper was leaked, the authorities is yet to verify this. All that was stated was that the Central Bureau of Investigation has been tasked with looking into the incident. Every year, in June and December, the UGC-NET is held twice.
On Tuesday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Central government received a notification from the Supreme Court about demands for action against alleged malpractices and paper leaks in the NEET-UG exams. The SC stated that students study diligently for these exams, hence the litigation related to the exam should not be handled in an adversarial manner.
