UGC NET 2024: Exam cancelled on grounds of compromised integrity, social media flooded with reactions from Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and others

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education on Wednesday night announced the cancellation of the UGC NET June 2024 examination due to concerns about its integrity. The decision caused confusion among parents and students, so the Ministry clarified in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that only the UGC NET exam has been cancelled.
Candidates who had prepared for the NEET exam were taken aback when they learned of the cancellation of the UGC NET instead.This misunderstanding caused widespread concern among parents.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Education, the cancellation was prompted by information from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) suggesting possible compromises in the exam's integrity.
This incident marks another instance of criticism faced by the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting major entrance exams nationwide. Earlier this month, the NEET UG 2024 results were also criticized due to anomalies, including 67 students being awarded the first rank nationwide.
Following the cancellation, various political figures, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, criticized the government's handling of examinations and raised concerns about the future of students.
Mallikarjun Kharge, in a Hindi post on X, questioned Narendra Modi ji's focus on discussions about exams, asking, "When will you conduct 'NEET pareeksha pe charcha'?" He emphasized that the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam reflects the determination and passion of lakhs of students.

Reacting to the announcement, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed her concerns over what she described as the BJP government's negligence and corruption affecting the youth. She highlighted the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam following earlier concerns over irregularities in the NEET exam.

On the other hand, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, not reacting to the cancellation of the UGC NET re-tweeted the Ministry of Education's post - announcing the cancellation of UGC NET June 2024.
In response to the controversy, the Ministry of Education also announced that the matter would be handed over to the CBI for a thorough investigation. The decision to cancel the exam was made to ensure transparency and maintain the sanctity of the examination process, and that a new exam date will be announced soon.
Talking about NTA's loss of credibility, National President of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) said "...NTA should be immediately banned and action should be taken against them..."

Anand Dubey, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson spoke to ANI reacting on the UGC NET exam cancellation, saying, "The future of the 24 lakh students is hanging because of the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Now, the government has cancelled the UGC-NET because of a paper leak. Is the NTA so careless? No one is ready to take the responsibility. Where is the PM, the Union Home Minister and the Education Minister?"