'No Complaints Against UGC-NET': Under Fire For Scrapping Exam, MoE Calls Its Decision 'Proactive'

New Delhi: The Education Ministry on Thursday, June 20, said that the UGC NET exam was cancelled to protect the interest of the students and prima facia it appeared that it was compromised. Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal said that the matter is being investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and fresh dates would be announced soon. 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. 

“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,” said Ministry of Education Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal on Thursday. 

Calling it a prompt action by the ministry, Jaiswal said that that no complaints were received about the exam but a suo motu action was taken on the basis of inputs available with them to protect students' interest. The inputs were shared to Education ministry by the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Jaiswal. Education Ministry Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal said the details of the inputs cannot be shared 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 said.

MoE Cancels NET Within 24 Hrs 

The ministry on Wednesday cancelled UGC-NET conducted by the National Testing Agency following inputs that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised. The UGC NET Examination was held at differed centres across India on Tuesday, June 18, and about 9 lakh students appeared for the examination. The Ministry cancelled the examination following concerns raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs' National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit (I4C). 

NET Cancellation Was Pre-Planned 

Several students who appeared for the UGC NET Examination flagged several discrepancies in the examination process. Republic spoke with several candidates who participated in the UGC-NET June 2024 exam held on June 18, revealing a striking deviation from normal protocol. Despite explicit instructions printed on the question paper requiring candidates to surrender their admit cards post-exam, invigilators reportedly allowed candidates to retain them.

Additionally, candidates highlighted another anomaly - the absence of carbon copies of their OMR sheets. Typically, in OMR-based tests, candidates receive a carbon copy of their filled OMR sheet after the exam to verify their responses and potentially challenge them if necessary. The lack of this standard practice further adds to the discrepancies observed during the UGC-NET June 2024 exam.