Paper Leak: NTA Announces New Dates for UGC-NET, CSIR-UGC NET, NCET

Economy
By Liam

National Testing Agency (NTA) announces new dates for previously postponed exams. (Photo: Shutterstock)

2 min read Last updated: June 29, 2024 | 02:35 AM IST

The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the new dates for the cancelled and postponed exams on Friday evening, amid a raging controversy over alleged irregularities.

“This is to inform all concerned candidates that due to certain unavoidable circumstances, some of the National Testing Agency (NTA) exams have been postponed/cancelled. Now, the new dates for these exams have been finalized,” NTA said in a statement.

According to the new NTA exam calendar, the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) 2024, which was postponed hours before the schedule on June 12, will now be conducted on July 10. The joint Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-University Grants Commission National Aptitude Test (CSIR-UGC NET), which was postponed as a preventive measure, will be held from July 25 to 27, NTA said. The June 2024 UGC-NET cycle, which was canceled a day after its execution on June 18, will now be executed between August 21 and September 4.

The UGC-NET exam on June 18 was conducted in two shifts using pen and paper (offline) in 317 cities. More than 900,000 candidates appeared for the UGC-NET exam. The rescheduled exam will now be conducted under the Computer Based Test (CBT) system, spread over fourteen days, NTA said.

Paper leaked on darknet

Discussing the issue of cancellation of UGC-NET, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Soon after it became clear that the UGC-NET question paper on darknet was matching with the original question paper of UGC-NET, we decided to cancel the exam. We take our responsibility and have to correct the system.”

Later, investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed that the exam was leaked through the darknet and various encrypted social media platforms on June 16, just two days before the exam. It was reportedly put up for sale for over Rs 500,000.

About Joint CSIR-UGC NET, UGC-NET, NCET

The Joint CSIR UGC-NET is conducted to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professorships and PhD admissions in accordance with the UGC eligibility criteria.

NET is conducted to determine the eligibility for the post of Assistant Professor and JRF in Indian universities and colleges.

NCET is conducted for admission to the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) in selected central and state universities or institutions including IITs, NITs, RIEs and government colleges.

First print: June 29, 2024 | 02:31 AM IST

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