The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Wednesday protested outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) building against the body’s decision to make the National Eligibility Test (NET) mandatory for PhD admissions.
On March 27, the UGC had announced that the NET would be “the one national entrance test” for all PhD admissions across the country.
The group of over 40 protesting students, who said the move would “reduce the quality of research in universities”, demanded the notice be withdrawn.
“The NET exam is an eligibility test for teaching positions, and is not oriented towards checking the research aptitude of candidates. Secondly, universities have research programmes catering to the research orientation of the university, and many such subjects do not have a corresponding NET exam,” read a memorandum sent by the JNUSU to the UGC.
The statement added that for instance, JNU offers PhD programmes in Korean language literature and West Asian studies — subjects which do not have a NET exam, meaning that students will have to clear the test in allied subjects.
The JNUSU also stated that the examination had encountered several glitches in the past.
JNUSU president Dhananjay said, however, that while the students were protesting, authorities of the UGC came out and assured them that they would inquire into the demands.