‘Scrap NTA’, ‘Dharmendra Pradhan must resign’: SFI, AISA, JNUSU, other groups to protest UGC NET cancellation

NEW DELHI: Student groups are condemning the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the cancellation of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) June 2024 and have announced protests demanding scrapping of the agency and resignation of the union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The Ministry of Education cancelled the test held on June 18 after getting inputs of cyber crime.

The education ministry will announce new exam dates soon. The June session of UGC NET was held in pen and paper mode for the first time for over 9 lakh candidates. The cancellation of UGC NET June 2024 comes amidst the ongoing controversy regarding the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

From NEET to UGC NET, NTA has proven its incompetency, said the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) and announced a protest demo at 2 pm today, June 20.

Commenting on exam cancellation, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said, “There should be no compromise on transparency in examinations, the problem of paper leak has become very serious. ABVP has continuously protested on the ground against various incidents of paper leak and has raised its voice for a permanent solution to the problem of paper leak, demanding strict action. ABVP also demands a CBI inquiry into the NEET-UG examination. The copy mafia should not be spared, strict action should be taken against them.”

'Scam' in exams

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association called ‘scam’ in exams a routine and said that the cancellation of UGC NET shows the ‘sorry’ state of affairs of the system. The students’ group urged for strict measures to prevent scam.

“The cancellation of NET exams after the alleged NEET examination scam speaks volumes about the sorry state of affairs of the system of conduct of entrances and examinations in our country. The scams in examinations has become a routine now, putting the career of countless students in jeopardy. These back to back scams shd serve as a clarion call to the Education Ministry to take concrete measures to prevent recurring of any such scams,” it said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) demanded a ‘transparent’ and independent investigation into the alleged irregularities in UGC NET and removal of NTA. It also demanded the education minister of India to resign. The students’ body has announced protests at UGC offices and all campuses ‘against the blatant negligence of the union government and the UGC authorities which put the life and career of tens of thousands of students in peril.'

“The SFI Central Executive committee condemns the NTA's mismanagement, which not only ruins the precious time, resources and energy that students have invested in preparation but also creates immense uncertainty and anxiety. This is a flagrant disregard for the aspirations of thousands of aspiring scholars who aspired to pursue careers in research and instruction,” the federation remarked.