Mismanagement of IP University in conducting NET exam

25 June, 2012

The National Eligibility Test (NET) exam that the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasth University held for the first time on June 24 in the National Capital Delhi was a big failure, as many candidates returned without appearing for the exam. Till the last moment, no admit cards were issued to them and all of them had no idea of the test center, which was changed at the last moment. Despite all these issues, the candidates were not allowed to give the exam after reaching late at examination centers. Who is to be blamed? The UGC, University management or innocent students, who were preparing for exam for last six months but lost this opportunity. Now question rises will UGC help those candidates or what step university will take?

JUNE 24, was the date when many aspiring candidates from all over the Delhi NCR went to their test center Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasath University (GGSIP) to give their NET exam with the hope to clear the exam and move forward for a better career. But after reachig the test venue they found there was total chaos.

In a small room of administration block of university campus in Dwarka there were about 500 to 600 candidates who were struggling hard to get their admit cards. There was total chaos at 8:30 in the morning just an hour before the exam was shceduled to start at 9:30 am as hundreds of applicants had not received their admit cards. Two months before while filling application forms, the university management told candidates that admit cards will be posted at their addresses but till the last moment no admit card were obtained by these candidates.

When this Citizen Journalist called GGSIP university, examination controller Prof. Pravin Chandra was unavailable for comments, but some of his colleagues, when spoken to, spoke in a harsh and threatening manner, and straight away tried to defend themselves by saying, “Ask UGC for every thing. We have sent all reports to UGC yesterday. Call there whatever you want to know," said an unnamed colleague of Prof. Chandra. When this Citizen Journalist observed that all problems took place GGSIP's campus, and asked why the centre had not sent admit cards to candidates, the reply was an adamant "all admit cards were available online." But if we look at the attached picture with this story, which is a snapshot taken from the website of the university, admit cards were uploaded on June 23 - just one day before the exam!

Now, the question arises how would candidates know that admit cards are online if they have no notification or information - and get the same just one day before the exam. How can the university management expect applicants to get their cards attested by a gazetted officer, which is mentioned in the card - just one day before the exam - that too on Saturday when it is hard to find any government office open? The University managment has failed to explain the delay, and the traumatic last-moment rush, which lead to many candidates not even attempting the prestigious exam.

Another setback to those candidates who got their admit cards on Sunday morning was that when they looked at their cards they found that test centers had been changed and different centers were alloted at last moment, and that GGSIP was not a center for the exam. This shocked many, as they panicked to rush for the examination center as they had only 30 minutes left for exam to be started.

Shockingly, the centers, which were alloted, were at different corners of Delhi - some had to go to Shahdra in east Delhi and some had to run towards Swarasati Vihar in North Delhi. Sitting in Dwarka (west Delhi) for many it was impossible to reach on time. Students and applicants were seen running in panic here and there asking for lifts.

Monika Bhadauria who came from Noida to Dwarka to give the exam had to rush back to Shahdra and reached there at 10 am. After requesting, she was allowed to give the exam, luckily. But majority of candidates failed to reach on time, and were not allowed to enter. Imran Khan a computer science student from Lucknow was one of them. "Yesteday I came from Lucknow and I have been running here and there since morning as I did not get my admit card," said Imran. According to him he was staying near Jamia Humdard University, started at 7 in morning for IP University in Dwarka, after reaching there he had to run back to Shahdra again in a bus, which took two hours to reach the destination. He reached the venue at 11 am and requested entry but were not allowed. Sudden last moment change of test center created much more chaos. Who was responsible for this huge mix up?

The same official that this Citizen Journalist spoke with said that it was made clear that IP University is only a 'control center' but on the website of both UGC and IP University, the IP university is tagged as 'Test Cente' with the code number 17, then how could students be expected to be alloted another test center at last moment - that too without their admit cards.

National Eligibility Test (NET) is a nation-wide exam, and the large-scale mismanagement that occured is part of the bigger problem in our education system. There are lakhs of people who apply for this exam every 6 months, and only one center is alloted to conduct this exam in a particular region. But, clearly, this seems inadequate to handle the demand. “Only one center to submit forms and there too only one window with long queue two months before. Young inexperienced boys were submitting forms and told me that admit card will be posted at home and not even gave any receipt, which usually was given by Jamia Milia University - where there were no hassles in conducting the NET exam,” said one of the applicants who was also not able to sit for the exam.

This Citizen Journalist tried several times to contact UGC but could not get through. One hopes that UGC does not ignore this incident as a small one, and that a full enquiry takes place and people responsible punished for putting hundreds of applicants and their families to so much of inconvenience and harassment.

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COMMENTS (1)

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Deepika Pundir

If you visit the official website for UGC NET and go to the general instructions,nowhere on there does it mention the part about downloading the provisional admit card from the website of the university concerned even if it was a provision made available.The fact that 200 candidates who submitted their forms, only at that particular venue were unaware about it,has to say something about the goof up at the hands of the UGC and Indraprastha University.Not to mention the cover up statements being given by the concerned parties post the confusion.And how does the UGC explain the dual attendance,since all these 200 students who appeared for the exam at a venue that was not part of the UGC test venue list,must have had an absence marked against their Rolls Nos. at their originally allotted respective test venues? By blaming the students for it's own short falls,the UGC is trying to shrug off it's own shoulders from the entire episode and attempting to save grace.Before we come to a hasty conclusion, the matter needs to be further investigated to see who's truly responsible for this laxity and then dealt with strictly for such carelessness and indifference to not repeat in the future.