The National Testing Agency has cancelled the University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), a day after it was held across the country, following prima facie indications that the integrity of exam was compromised.
The Union Education Ministry said the UGC-NET will be conducted afresh and that the matter will be probed by the CBI.
In a statement, the ministry informed that the UGC received certain inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analysis Unit, which prima facie indicated that the integrity of the examination has been compromised.
"To ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India has decided that the UGC-NET June 2024 Examination be cancelled,” it said.
“A fresh examination shall be conducted, for which information shall be shared separately. Simultaneously, the matter is being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for thorough investigation,” it added.
The decision to cancel the exam 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 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.
UGC-NET is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for ‘Assistant Professor’ and ‘Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor’ in Indian universities and colleges.
Awarding of JRF and eligibility for Assistant Professorship depends on the aggregate performance of the candidate in Paper-I and Paper-II of UGC-NET. The candidates qualifying only for Assistant Professorship are not to be considered for the awarding of JRF.
Candidates who qualify the eligibility test for Assistant Professorship are governed by the rules and regulations for recruitment of Assistant Professor of the universities/colleges/state governments concerned, as the case may be, as per information published on the NTA website.