UGC-NET exam, which was cancelled a day after it was held on June 18, will now be conducted between August 21 and September 4, National Testing Agency announced on Friday (June 28). The announcement comes over a week after the exam was cancelled following the paper leak on darknet.
UGC-NET cancellation
The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the cancellation of the UGC-NET (University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test) exam, just a day after it was conducted, citing concerns that the "integrity of the examination may have been compromised." This decision came on Wednesday night after the NTA received reports suggesting potential issues with the June 18 exam.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reaffirmed the government's commitment to maintaining error-free exams. He stated that a high-level committee is being formed to improve the NTA's structure and enhance transparency.
Pradhan on Thursday (June 20) disclosed the reason behind the cancellation of UGC-NET, stating that the decision to call off the exam was taken after it was found that the question paper was leaked on darknet. The dark web, or darknet, is a hidden part of the internet that search engines cannot access. Users on the dark web remain mostly anonymous and untraceable, often using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin for transactions.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, the Minister said, “Soon after it was clear that the UGC-NET question paper on darknet matches the original question paper of UGC-NET, we decided to cancel the examination”.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) UGC-NET, which was postponed as a preemptive measure amid the row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of exams, will now be held from July 25-July 27.
The CSIR UGC-NET is accepted for PhD admissions in 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), which was postponed hours before its scheduled commencement on June 12, will now be conducted on July 10.
The test is held for select central and state universities or institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs, and government colleges.
In the line of fire over the alleged irregularities in medical entrance examination NEET-UG and PhD entrance NET, the Centre had last week notified a panel to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.
While the NEET is under scanner over several alleged irregularities, including paper leak, the UGC-NET was cancelled as the ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG -- were cancelled as a preemptive step.
With inputs from PTI
