SC, ST, OBC candidates require only 50% to be eligible for NET

The HRD ministry said on Monday that the candidates belonging to the SC, ST and OBC categories who have secured at least 50% marks in Master's degree from recognised institutions are eligible for appearing in the National Eligibility Test (NET). This information was shared by Minister of State in the HRD Mahendra Nath Pandey in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has informed that the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) categories, who have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master's degree or equivalent examination from universities or institutions, recognised by UGC, are eligible for appearing in NET, he said.

The UGC (Minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education) (4th Amendment), Regulations, 2016 prescribe 5% relaxation in minimum eligibility marks of 55% marks for candidates belonging to SC, ST and OBC categories for direct recruitment to teaching positions, he said.

In a another written reply, the HRD ministry said that under 'Vidyanjali', a school volunteer programme that was launched in June 2005, a large number of schools have registered with Vidyanjali Application. 2084 Apps have been downloaded and 1216 volunteers have logged in and registered for 815 activities in various schools, it said.