UGC NET Cancelled To Ensure Student Interests, Matter With CBI: Education Ministry

The UGC NET exam was cancelled to protect the interest of the students and prima facia it appeared that it was compromised, The Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

Addressing the media, Govind Jaiswal, joint secretary, Ministry of education, said, "9 lakh students had participated in the UGC-NET exam that the NTA conducted on June 18... The ministry saw that there was a chance that the examination had been compromised. The ministry has decided to cancel the examination. The next date will be declared soon. The matter has been referred to the CBI,"

Describing it as a proactive measure by the ministry, Jaiswal stated that no complaints had been received about the exam. However, a suo motu action was initiated based on the information they had to safeguard students' interests. This information was provided to the Education Ministry by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jaiswal added. Education Ministry Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal mentioned that the specifics of the information cannot be disclosed as the matter has been referred to the CBI and is currently under investigation.

"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 interests of the students," he stated.

The Education Ministry on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of UGC-NET conducted by the National Testing Agency following inputs that the integrity of the examination.

The decision by the Ministry comes amid a massive row on the medical entrance exam NEET over alleged irregularities, with the issue now before the Supreme Court.

In a shift from earlier practice, the National Eligibility Test (NET) was conducted in pen and paper mode this time on a single day -June 18- with a record 11 lakh students registering for the exam.

The UGC-NET is an examination that determines the eligibility of Indian nationals for the award of Junior Research Fellowships, appointments as Assistant Professors, and admission to PhD programs in Indian universities and colleges.