Hyderabad students to challenge new National Eligibility Test guidelines

Students are planning to challenge UGC's new National Eligibility Test (NET) guidelines for lecturer posts. University Grants Commission (UGC) recently introduced a new rule stating that only top 15% candidates in NET will be eligible for taking up teaching jobs in colleges and universities.

Till last year, any candidate who scored minimum marks was eligible for teaching posts. Students from English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) on Sunday said they would approach court against UGC guidelines. The protesting students said that the UGC's decision was in violation of a Kerala HC order, issued on December 17, 2012. A total of 28,000 students appeared for the NET examination from Osmania University centre on Sunday.

"In its order, the Kerala HC had clearly stated that NET was only an eligibility test and not a competitive examination. The exam is only meant to test whether the candidates are qualified to teach or do research. However, by deciding to grant NET certificates to only the top 15% candidates, UGC is denying an opportunity to others," said Mohan Dharavath, student leader, Eflu. Students said that new guidelines would do more harm than good.

"Those candidates who had secured NET in the past would appear for the examination to get grants under Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). Such candidates are likely to figure in the top 15% of the merit list over and over again denying opportunity to others," said Dharavat.

The students are planning to file a PIL within a month's time. UGC conducts NET once in every six months.

SC relief to NET candidates

In a relief to thousands of aspirants taking the national eligibility test (NET), the UGC has withdrawn its decision to increase the cut-off marks for clearing the NET, following a Supreme Court order on Friday. The UGC had increased the eligibility score by 15% without notice.

The national educational testing bureau of the UGC conducts the NET for determining the eligibility for lectureship and for awarding junior research fellowship to ensure minimum standards for the entrants in the teaching profession and research. The NET is conducted in June and December every year.

The UGC, however, made several changes in the June 2012 exam, including increasing the cut-off marks. The candidates learnt about the changes only when the UGC announced it a day after announcing the results of the exam on September 18.

As per the initial notification, candidates belonging to the SC/ST sections needed 35, 35, and 60 marks respectively for qualifying papers 1, 2 and 3. The marks to be obtained by the OBCs were set as 35, 35, and 68 and for those belonging to the general category it was 40, 40, and 75. But, when the results were announced, candidates who would've been eligible as per the initial criteria failed to qualify.

As per the new criteria, the percentage of marks to be scored by candidates belonging to different categories has been increased by 15%.

This made several students file an affidavit with the SC against the UGC regarding change in norms. On Friday, the SC issued an order saying that the UGC's decision was invalid as it did not follow the exam policy in announcing the changes in cut-offs and that, too, in such a short period of time. An official at the University of Pune that conducts the NET exam said, "The SC decision is valid for all candidates who sat for the June 2012 examinations. The old cut-offs will be considered and new results will be announced."