Riyaz ul Khaliq
SRINAGAR
University of Kashmir (KU) has registered “extra-ordinarily” weak attendance of candidates appearing in National Eligibility Test on Sunday. This is despite the fact that DDCs of Kashmir districts had arranged government transport for such candidates.
Only 48% of the total candidates appearing for National Eligibility Test (NET) wrote their first paper of the examination at University of Kashmir on Sunday.
NET is an examination necessary to be qualified for 10+2+3 lecturership and above in higher education department.
The sources said that the first paper of NET started around 9:30 AM which lasted for 45 minutes. Second paper started at 11:15 Am with duration of 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The third and last paper will start at 2 PM and will the examination will conclude at 4:30 PM.
Speaking to Kashmir Life, Controller of Examination KU, Pro A S Bhat said, “the attendance of (NET) candidates is extra-ordinarily weak.”
Central Board of School Education (CBSE), a union government backed board, is the nodal agency of the NET.
Sources in KU said that for J&K, KU would conduct the NET, however, the University Grants Commission (UGC) made changes from 2014. “It is now the baby of CBSE and KU has nothing to with it,” sources revealed, “KU just gives the support and the space.”
KU was the nodal agency for conduct of NET in J&K up to 2013 and it is third consecutive year that CBSE is holding examination itself in J&K.
“We have two NET sub-centres in KU,” Prof Bhat said, “there was no such centre in North nor in South but a few were established in Srinagar which have been readjusted.”
Observing that it was show of “dismal performance”, Prof Bhat revealed that only 48.4% candidates could make it to KU today.
“We would register health attendance up to 2015,” he said, “over 90% candidates would appear for NET.”
In the two NET sub-centres at KU, 1860 candidates had registered for the examination.
In the first centre, 473 candidates out of 960 wrote first two papers while in second such centre, only 428 were present out of 900 registered candidates.
The NET is being held in the troubled Kashmir region when at least 71 civilians have been killed while over 8500 injured by forces since July 09, 2016 when mass protests were triggered by killing of popular militant commander Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016.
