Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar hints at the possibility of holding the exams only once a year
Sensing lesser participation from students in the bi-annual National Eligibility Test (NET), the government is planning to change its format.
The Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday hinted that the government might consider holding the examination only once in year as the number of students appearing for the bi-annual exams has reduced.
While the minister did not give a clarity on whether the exams will be held this year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had recently confirmed that the July edition of NET will be conducted this year and a notification in this regard will be out soon.
“The actual number of students appearing for NET after every six months has reduced, therefore we are planning to change the format of the examination. A new announcement in this regard is likely to be made soon,” said Javadekar.
The minister hinted at the possibility of holding the exams only once a year. At present, NET is held twice a year — in July and December — for the grant of junior research fellowship. It is also a qualifying exam for recruitment of assistant professors in universities and colleges.
NET is currently conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is responsible for holding many other competitive examinations also.
According to sources, the government is considering making these changes after CBSE had expressed their unwillingness in conducting NET examinations twice a year. The board had said that they are already overburdened with conducting others examinations like NEET, JEE-Main for medical and engineering education and their own board examinations.
It was a suggestion from the CBSE that the test should be made an annual process. The proposal however is still at the stage of discussion and consultation.
The NET was conducted by the UGC till 2014 following which the job was handed over to the CBSE.
No clarity
Only 17 per cent of registered candidates take the NET exam during the six-monthly exam
NET was earlier conducted by UGC, it was handed over to the CBSE after 2014
Notification regarding the next NET examination has not been issued so far, causing confusion among candidates
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