The Union Education Ministry has made a shocking announcement to cancel the recently conducted UGC-NET June 2024 examination. This decision comes just a day after over 9 lakh students appeared for the crucial National Eligibility Test (NET) across 317 cities in India.
The reason cited for this abrupt cancellation is inputs received from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit flagging potential compromise of the exam's integrity. Specifically, the ministry stated that "to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process," the June 2024 UGC-NET had to be scrapped.
The UGC-NET or University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test is a crucial exam that determines eligibility for the Assistant Professor role as well as awarding the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in universities and colleges across India.
Conducted twice yearly in June and December by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the computer-based UGC-NET assesses candidates' skills through two papers. Performance in these papers determines qualification as Assistant Professor or for the JRF award to pursue research.
The June 2024 UGC-NET had witnessed massive participation with around 11.21 lakh candidates registered and an impressive 81% (over 9 lakh students) appearing for the pen-and-paper based exam.
This year's UGC-NET marked a departure from the usual computer-based mode and was instead conducted via pen-and-paper format across the country. However, barely 24 hours after its conclusion, the exam now stands cancelled by the Education Ministry.
The gravity of the situation is underlined by the ministry's decision to hand over the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe into the integrity issues surrounding the UGC-NET June 2024 examination.
As per the ministry's statement, a fresh examination will be conducted for which revised dates and other details will be notified separately to the registered candidates.
This dramatic turn of events has left thousands of UGC-NET aspirants in a state of uncertainty. Many had dedicated months of intense preparation only to have their efforts rendered void within a day of attempting the high-stakes examination.
While the decision aims to uphold transparency and maintain sanctity of the process, the abrupt cancellation has undoubtedly caused significant inconvenience and anxiety among the student community.
All eyes are now on the CBI investigation to unravel the integrity lapses and pave the way for a re-examination that adheres to the highest standards of fairness and credibility that an exam like the UGC-NET deserves.
With far-reaching consequences for careers in India's higher education landscape, resolving the UGC-NET fiasco has become a priority to ensure meritorious candidates get a fair shot at pursuing research and teaching roles they have worked relentlessly for.
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