UGC-NET cancelled to protect students' interests: Education ministry

A day after the UGC-National Eligibility Test (NET) was cancelled, a senior official from the education ministry on Thursday said that the decision was a suo motu action taken on the basis of inputs received by them to protect students’ interests, as the “integrity of the exam had been compromised.”

The ministry on Wednesday cancelled UGC-NET conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), citing inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) of Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) on the examination that the integrity of the test may have been compromised.

Over 900,000 students across the country appeared for the exam on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, Govind Jaiswal, joint secretary, Ministry of Education, said that the details of the inputs cannot be shared as the matter has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is currently under investigation.

“No complaints were received, but the inputs we got from agencies indicated that the integrity of the exam had been compromised,” he said.

A fresh date for the exam is expected to be announced soon.

Jaiswal noted that while no complaints were received regarding the alleged UGC-NET exam leak, the I4C took proactive measures.

“We cannot draw any conclusions until we thoroughly examine the evidence. Many individuals are involved in this matter. We are taking prompt action to ensure that no student’s future is compromised”, he said.

“I want to reiterate that the ministry is committed to ensuring the interests of students. We will not hesitate to take action against anyone found involved in any wrongdoing,” Jaiswal added.

ALSO READ: What is National Testing Agency, exam body slammed over UGC NET, NEET row?

NET is conducted to determine the eligibility for the post of assistant professors as well as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges.

The development comes at a time when the NTA is embroiled in another controversy over irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) for medical and allied courses.

Addressing the NEET-UG exam row, Jaiswal said that the issue of grace marks has been addressed by the ministry. “As for the alleged leak, Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU) is investigating. They have sought detailed input from the NTA. We will take action based on inputs from the Bihar Police”, he added.

WATCH: Why did NTA cancel the UGC-NET exam?




 

ALSO READ: What is National Testing Agency, exam body slammed over UGC NET, NEET row?