Jawaharlal Nehru University Considers New PhD Entrance Exam After UGC NET Cancellation
New Delhi [India], July 11: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is thinking about stopping the UGC NET exam for PhD admissions and going back to its own entrance test. This change comes after the UGC NET exam was canceled due to concerns about its integrity.
The university administration has asked all deans and chairpersons to agree to hold the in-house PhD entrance exam. They need to give their responses by August 5, 2024. Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit held a meeting on July 3, 2024, to discuss this issue with the deans.
“We have begun the process and we are taking into account the opinion of all the stakeholders while considering this decision. It is a decision of all the faculty,” said Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit.
The email sent to the faculty mentioned that the university would not receive any funds from the University Grants Commission and Ministry of Education for holding the All India Entrance Examination for PhD programs. The university will have to make its own financial arrangements.
The administration has asked for a detailed report by August 5, 2024, from all the deans and chairpersons after discussing the issue with their faculty members. They need to submit the overall process of holding the examination, including the time frame, exam pattern, financial aspects, and estimated costs.
The JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) supports this move, which follows the cancellation of the June 2024 UGC-NET Examination. Over the past year, teachers and students have highlighted problems with the NTA-led examination and have been demanding that the university take back the responsibility of conducting the entrance exam.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) had been conducting the exam for several years, and candidates had to take a Computer Based Test. This year, JNU announced a change in its selection process for PhD admissions, accepting the National Eligibility Test (NET) score instead of conducting its own entrance test, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
On June 19, 2024, the Centre canceled the UGC NET exam following inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that the exam’s integrity might have been compromised.
In a statement, JNUTA said, “It welcomes the decisions taken in the meeting of the Vice Chancellor and Deans of Schools on 3 July 2024, as well as to refer the matter to the faculty of Schools/Centres for their opinions.”
“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 demands raised by it after the cancellation of the June 2024 UGC-NET Examination,” said the JNUTA.
