COIMBATORE: THE University Grants Commission has decided to declare six percent of candidates who appear for the National Eligibility Test (NET) as qualified.
This is expected to increase the number of candidates clearing the examination. The pass percentage was 4.83 in June 2015, 4.96 in December 2015, 4.08 in July 2016 and 3.99 in January 2017.
Till now, to be qualified, a candidate had to secure the minimum required marks in the three NET papers. The top 15 percent from them would be declared as qualified.
Questioning this criterion, some people had filed a case in the Kerala High Court. Considering the court’s order in the case, the UGC has revised the procedure and decided to qualify six percent of candidates who appear for the examination.
As the NET pass percentage till now was less than five percent, the UGC’s decision is expected to increase the number of candidates who qualify in NET.
Before adopting the minimum marks and top 15 percent standard, the UGC used to declare seven percent of those who wrote the exam as qualified. Now it is again adopting the old system and declare six percent of candidates as qualified, said NET-SLET Association general secretary A R Nagarajan.
“When the examination was conducted by the UGC, the questions were easier. With CBSE conducting it now, the questions are tough and of the analytical type. A candidate has to have deep knowledge of the subject to answer these questions. The norms are being liberalised now,” he added.
“The NET examination should have both objective and descriptive types of questions, as in the earlier system. Quality should not be compromised,” said Nagarajan.