KOCHI: Postgraduate and research students around the country are tensely awaiting the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test exam results. However, students who appeared for the archaeology NET exam in December last year woke up to an agonising morning on January 4.
In the answer key published the previous night, several students found at least 40 to 60 wrong answers. “I woke up early to check the answer keys as the site was down at night. To my utter disappointment, I found out that at least 45 answers in the list were wrong. Even easy questions that anyone could answer have come out wrong in the answer key,” says Nayanathara S, a resident of Kozhikode and a graduate from Deccan College in Pune.
Many students have come out on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram complaining that at least 60 to 70 answers given in the answer key are wrong, she says. Nayanathara initially was reluctant to challenge the answers as the process requires Rs 200 as a fee for each question. “Usually, three or four answers may come out wrong. This is the first time I am hearing about nearly 50% of answers being wrong,” she says.
“Even then, I decided to appeal. We have to submit evidence while appealing. However, I couldn’t compress the file with references and my appeal failed to register,” Nayanathara adds. Though she failed, Nayanathara hopes that other students may have at least challenged those answers.
Meanwhile, she has been trying to reach the National Testing Agency on the phone to raise the issue. “All my calls went unanswered. I have since mailed UGC multiple times. Hopefully, they will take some positive action,” she says.
It is not just Nayanathara, Thrissur native Sreelekshmi K S, a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, also found at least 25 wrong answers in the answer key. “I stopped reading further after that,” she says. Other than a few groups of archaeology students raising their voices on social media platforms, she hasn’t seen any response to the issue. “Some are hoping that it is a clerical error,” she says.
Her friend Akhil K N of Thiruvananthapuram, a PhD student from Kerala University, also found several wrong answers. “Even simple questions such as ‘Who is the author of the book ‘Man Makes Himself’ came out wrong. Instead of the correct answer V Gordon Childe, in the answer key it was given as option 2 — Jacob Warsa[a]e,” he says.
Delhi-based Sachin Singh Jadoun, co-founder of Inarch Centre, an archaeology group that helps students and researchers with materials and information, says the organisation has received many queries about the issue with the answer keys. The organisation believes at least 45 to 60 answers in the key are wrong.
“We are waiting for the results, which will appear on January 10. If these wrong answers are reflected in the final results, then we will take the issue to court,” says Gourav, co-founder of Inarch Centre.
The chairperson of UGC, Prof M Jagadesh Kumar, says he has been in touch with NTA. “They are looking into it,” the chairperson adds.
Rs 200 FEE FOR EACH QUESTION CORRECTION
Many students have been complaining that at least 60 to 70 answers given in the answer key are wrong. Nayanathara initially was reluctant to challenge the answers as the process requires `200 as a fee for each question. “Usually, three or four answers may come out wrong,” she says.