The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Friday that the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) examination scheduled for June 25 to June 27, 2024, has been postponed.
Candidates were advised to check the official website (https://csimnet.nta.ac.in) for updates. For any questions, candidates can contact the NTA Help Desk at 011-40759000 or 011-69227700, or email csimet@nta.ac.in.
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Read more: NTA defers Joint CSIR-UGC-NET amid NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine | 10 points
The Education Ministry previously cancelled the UGC-NET, held on June 18, to ensure transparency and integrity. The ministry received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit indicating potential compromise of the exam’s integrity. The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar noted that 81 per cent of the 11.21 lakh registered candidates attended the exam in 317 cities across the country.
What is the Joint CSIR-UGC-NET Examination?
The Joint CSIR-UGC NET exam determines eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Lectureship (LS)/Assistant Professor roles in Indian universities and colleges. Applications for the test are invited online twice a year through nationwide press notifications, according to the Ministry of Education website.
CSIR-NET is held for five science subjects: Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, Chemical Science, and Mathematics. In contrast, UGC-NET covers all humanities subjects.
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The exam assesses candidates’ eligibility for teaching positions in Indian universities and colleges. Those who qualify for JRF are also eligible for Lectureship/Assistant Professor roles, provided they meet UGC’s criteria. Some candidates qualify solely for Lectureship/Assistant Professor based on their test performance, and their qualifications remain valid indefinitely.
The Joint CSIR-UGC NET Fellowship is a fixed-term award without guaranteed employment. JRF recipients receive a stipend of ₹31,000 per month for the first two years and an annual contingent grant of ₹20,000.
Why did the NTA postpone the exam?
In a press release, the NTA announced that the exam is being postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. The new exam dates will be shared later on the official website.
It said, “This is in continuation to the Public Notice dated 15.06.2024 vide which Advance Intimation of Examination City allotted to the applicants of the Joint CSIR-UGC-NET Examination June-2024 along with the schedule of examination was informed to all the candidates.”
A senior NTA official, speaking to HT anonymously, said that with the UGC-NET cancellation and the retest of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for 1,563 candidates, it was impossible to hold another exam right away.
“NTA will soon reschedule the exam and declare results at the earliest so that the academic session does not get affected,” the official added.
Ongoing controversies surrounding paper leaks and exam cancellations
The controversy began this year with allegations emerging around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after the results were announced, with students and parents protesting on the streets. The issue of grace marks being given to over 1500 students was highlighted after it was discovered that 67 students had topped the exam. Moreover, students at a Rajasthan centre complained of receiving English question papers instead of Hindi, along with reports of damaged OMR sheets and delays in paper distribution. In Patna, a case was filed over a suspected paper leak, leading to the arrest of 13 individuals involved in a cheating racket, including four test-takers.
Read more: CSIR UGC NET Exam 2024 postponed, new exam date will be announced later
Moreover, on Wednesday, the education ministry cancelled the UGC-NET exam, stating concerns over the integrity of the process. The June edition of the exam was held on June 18, with 908,580 candidates taking the test in 83 subjects at 1,200 centres using OMR sheets.
For weeks, protests erupted across India with thousands of students demanding justice over allegations of paper leaks, inflated scores, and arbitrary grace marks. Opposition parties called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.
