In a significant decision, the University of Kerala has rejected the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposal to mandate National Eligibility Test (NET) scores for PhD research eligibility.
The syndicate, which met here on Friday, accepted a sub-committee’s recommendation to consider candidates who qualify both the NET and the university’s own PhD entrance examination as eligible to pursue research.
The apex regulatory body for higher education wrote to universities in March, informing its decision to enable candidates to utilise the NET score for admission to PhD programmes.
In its communication, the UGC stated that the score “can be used for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by different universities and higher education institutions”.
The proposal was reviewed by a sub-committee, appointed by the university’s syndicate, comprising K.G. Gopchandran, Shijukhan J.S., P.M. Radhamany and S. Jayan. The panel recommended that research opportunities should be open to candidates who have cleared both examinations. The advice was accepted by the syndicate.
The rejection of the UGC’s proposal by Kerala University comes at a time when there is growing scrutiny and debate over the credibility and implementation of national-level examinations such as NET and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET).
Furthermore, the Union Education Ministry recently ordered the cancellation of the NET examination following suspicion of a question paper leak. The development has prompted several institutions including Central universities to consider reverting to their in-house examinations for PhD examinations.
According to an official, a one-size-fits-all approach may not be suitable for the diverse educational landscape of the country, where universities have been traditionally autonomous in their academic decisions. The university’s decision to uphold its PhD entrance examination as a prerequisite for research eligibility reflects its commitment to maintaining academic standards and autonomy, the source said.
