Exam-Related Irregularities Under NTA: How International Media Covered It?
Today, the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the postponement of the joint CSIR UGC NET 2024 exam, scheduled for June 25 to June 27, 2024. The testing agency cited ‘unavoidable circumstances and logistic issues’ as the reason to delay the exam. However, no new exam date is specified by the agency. The CSIR UGC NET exam is an assessment of research aptitude in science subjects. The CSIR UGC NET exam is crucial to determine eligibility for a Junior Research Fellowship, lectureship, and Assistant professor positions.
The postponement of the exam raises additional questions on the capability of NTA to conduct the entrance examination after the NEET paper leak cases and the cancellation of the UGC NET June 2024 exam. Notably, countrywide protests were held after the alleged NEET exam-related cases and UGC NET exam cancellation on June 18 held in two sessions across the country. Over 9 lakh candidates participated in the UGC NET examination which was canceled due to integrity issues.
Read also: NEET UG – 2024 Re-examination Tomorrow; Admit Cards For 1563 Candidates Available On exams.nta.ac.in
The postponement of another national exam adds pressure faced by aspiring researchers and students. The students, parents, educational institutions, social activists, and political leaders have raised concerns over the bleak future of entrance examinations under NTA. Several petitions have been filed and students are demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter. States and political leaders are demanding the scrapping of centralization of the entrance test and asking for the state-mediated conduct of exams.
The entrance examination has become a political hot potato and national media has covered the concerns of students throughout. Similarly, International Media has also reacted to the exam related irregularities.
Al Jazeera covered the news by citing it as a scam and under the story “Millions of students at risk: India’s elite exams hit by corruption ‘scam’” wrote, “More than 3 million aspirants took India’s top tests for medical and research schools. Their future is now uncertain amid paper leaks, arrests and growing demands for a re-examination”.
Read also: Anti-Paper Leak Law Comes Into Effect, Jail Term And Fine Upto 1 Crore
BBC covered the news under “Why an exam has sparked national outrage in India” describing the entire controversy, Paper leak cases, NTA’s denial of allegations, Supreme Court’s orders, and political slugfest.
Bloomberg connected it with the Modi 3.0 government and said, “Modi’s New Government Confronts Protests Over India Exam”. The US-based agency said, “The controversy has left hundreds of thousands of aspiring doctors uncertain about their futures amid a severe job crisis”.
Chinese news agency Xinhua covered the story on nationwide protest and re-examination realted on June 13 under, “India to re-conduct medical entrance exam over scam”. It covered the alleged nexus between the examination centers and coaching centres. The demand by opposition and Supreme Court orders in the NEET scam were also mentioned.
Pakistan’s News outlet Dawn mentioned the NEET exam news under, “Indian PM Modi criticised for exam irregularities amid lack of jobs” and said “India’s opposition parties and the country’s students have hit out at the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for irregularities in recent government-run tests for college admissions and government teaching jobs”.
