HYDERABAD: The long wait for State Eligibility Test (SET) continues for more than one lakh post graduates, aspiring for entering the lecturing profession and Ph.D courses in Telangana.
A candidate needs to be qualified in SET for taking lecturer job at any level, whether in junior colleges or degree colleges or in universities. Even for getting admissions into Ph.D courses it is preferred. Therefore there is great demand for SET from the post graduates. SET was first introduced in the year 2012 and from then it was held three times till now. Every time more than lakh candidates took the exam.
As it is already tenth month of the year, it is almost confirmed that there will be no SET for the year 2016, thus disappointing thousands of students who have been preparing for it.
“Becoming a lecturer or professor is the dream of many youngsters. But qualifying SET is mandatory today for applying for lecturer post. While SET should be conducted every year, officials are not conducting it regularly. How can we plan our careers properly, when we do not even know when the exam will be held or whether it will be held or not?” questioned K Manoj Kumar, a post graduate in English from Osmania University.
Osmania University has been entrusted with the job of conducting SET in the state by Government. But due to various administrative gaffes committed by both Government and OU officials. SET is being delayed and even abandoned some years.
University Grants Commission (UGC) has to give accreditation before conducting SET. The previous accreditation given for conducting SET lapsed in May 2015. As a result, till now accreditation from UGC to conduct SET has not been acquired and candidates aspiring to take SET have to face a prolonged wait.
When contacted, SET committee member secretary Professor Yadagairi Swamy said that they have made arrangements for getting accreditation and taking steps to expedite the process of issuing notification of SET as soon as possible.