Students who are looking to appear for the National Eligibility Test (NET), while also seeking admission to Hyderabad Central University, may be affected due to a clash in the dates for both entrance tests.
University of Hyderabad is scheduled to conduct its entrance examinations for Integrated Post Graduate courses, PG courses, MPhil and PhD programs from September 24 to 26. The National Test Agency (NTA), however, will conduct UGC-NET on September 25, leaving some students to have to choose between the two options.
UGC-NET is an eligibility test for MPhil and PhD courses for many universities and for fellowships.
Though the Students Union of Hyderabad Central University had demanded the university to postpone the exam in view of NET, the university would not reschedule due to “technical and existing circumstances.”
Speaking to TNM, University of Hyderabad spokesperson Prof Vinod Pavarala said that the university had put out its latest schedule after considering all other exam dates, including UGC-NET. However, the date for NET was recently changed.
"The arrangements have been made all over the country in 38 different centres to conduct entrance exams. Observers have been sent to the centres. At this stage, there is no chance of any change in the schedule," he said.
Prof Vinod suggested that students should appear for the university entrance exams since UoH does not give admission based on NET qualifications. He encouraged students to appear for NET in the second spell.
Prof Vinod further suggested the aspirants to appear for entrance exams since university either way doesn't give admission based on NET qualification, as they can appear NET again this year. UGC-NET is typically held twice a year, in June and in December. While the June dates were pushed to September due to the pandemic, the dates for the December test have not yet been announced.
The university has also announced that students who have been assigned to centres at Raipur in Chhattisgarh and Imphal in Manipur can appear at any other convenient centre, with one-day notice to the Controller of Examination through an email. Raipur and Imphal districts are under certain COVID-19 restrictions to contain the spread of the virus.
University authorities noted the students will be allowed with some flexibility in entering the exam hall due to the current situation. All COVID-19 precautionary guidelines, such as face shields, gloves and hand sanitisers, have to be followed by students. The temperature of the candidate will be checked at the entrance to the examination venue.
However, the student union of the university has urged authorities to allow students with symptoms of illness to take the exam in a separate room and allow them to leave in case of "uncomfortability."
Incidentally, universities in Telangana have postponed undergraduate final-year exams, slated for between September 24 and 26, in light of demands from aspiring UoH students.