JNU considering to opt out of UGC NET for PhD, claims JNUTA; VC says 'too soon to assume'

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Thursday claimed the university has opened up the possibility of reinstating the old system of JNU to conduct its own entrance examinations for PhD admissions by opting out of UGC NET scores. JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, however, said that no decision has been taken yet and the administration has only invited suggestions from the stakeholders.

"It is too soon to assume that JNU is going to do away with the UGC NET scores for the Phd admissions. We have only taken suggestions from the stakeholders since it will take some time for NTA to declare the results of the entrance exam and our Phd admissions are getting delayed because of this. The fellowship of our JRF students is also stuck due to the same," she told PTI. "Nevertheless, there are logistical issues which will have to be looked into to implement the old entrance system and it is a time taking process. So far we have not made any decision. In future if we do, it will be notified on the university website," she added.

The JNUTA in a statement on Thursday said in a meeting of the vice-chancellor and Deans of Schools on July 3, decisions were taken to open up the possibility of reinstating the old JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE) for Phd admissions. "JNUTA considers this to be a vindication of its long-standing position on the matter of entrance examinations as well as a positive response to the specific demand raised by it after the cancellation of the June 2024 UGC-NET Examination," the letter read. The JNU's decision to move to using the UGC-NET scores for PhD admissions in 2024-25 was "imposed", and was not based on any deliberations within the faculty or in the authoritative bodies of the University, it alleged.

The Ministry of Education cancelled the UGC-NET examination a night before the scheduled date on June 18 after receiving inputs that the exam's integrity may have been compromised. A fresh UGC-NET exam will now be held from August 21 to September 4, which means the declaration of results will take more time.

The teachers body demanded the university to adopt JNUEE for the post-graduate and undergraduate admissions as well, raising concern against the alleged irregularities reported in several of the NTA held competitive examinations. The UGC-NET exam is crucial for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for junior research fellowships, assistant professor positions and admission to PhD programmes in the Indian universities and colleges.