Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday came down heavily on the Centre after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced its decision to re-conduct the UGC-NET examinations for English, Commerce and Sociology, questioning why candidates should bear the consequences of errors in the question papers.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, "Modi ji, look at what your NTA has just done." He questioned why candidates who had spent months prepapring for the examination would have to appear again because of the testing agency's errors.
Rahul Gandhi Questions Re-Examination
The UGC-NET examinations for the three subjects were conducted between June 22 and 30. Gandhi said the NTA cancelled the exams nearly two months later because the papers contained errors and repeated old questions.
"Thousands of candidates who prepared for years, filled forms, paid the fees, travelled to distant centres, must now do it all again in September. NTA makes the mistake but the student serves the sentence," he said in a post on X.
Gandhi also questioned whether the papers had been leaked before the examinations and alleged that the NTA had failed to provide answers on the issue.
"NTA still won't answer the real question - were these papers leaked before the exam?" he said.
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'Education System An Extraction Machine', Says Gandhi
Gandhi alleged that the examination system had turned into an "extraction machine", saying it takes students' money, years, mental health and confidence without giving them adequate returns.
"I said this in Kota, in Dehradun, in Prayagraj, and I will keep saying it - this is no longer an education system. It is an extraction machine. It takes your money, your years, your mental health, and your confidence and returns nothing. Not even a job," he said.
He further alleged that there would be no accountability for the errors, comparing the NTA's functioning with what he described as other compromised examination systems.
Gandhi Demands Accountability
The Congress leader said former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was only the beginning and called for accountability from the NTA leadership.
"Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was the first step, not the last. NTA's leadership must be held accountable too. To every student sitting this exam again in September - you are not the problem," Gandhi said.
He added that students' years were being wasted and said his party would continue seeking answers from the prime minister.
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Congress MP Questions Delay
A Congress Rajya Sabha MP also questioned the NTA's functioning following the announcement of the re-examination.
He said the agency had acknowledged that the English, Commerce and Sociology papers contained "factual, typographical, and translation errors" and questioned why it took nearly two months to identify them.
The MP also asked why candidates who appeared for the other 84 subjects were still waiting for their results and questioned whether the prime minister would take responsibility for the issue.
NTA Announces Fresh Exams
The NTA said it received several complaints regarding multiple errors in the English, Commerce and Sociology question papers. A committee was subsequently constituted to examine the complaints.
Based on the committee's recommendations, the agency decided to conduct the examinations again to ensure a "fair and error-free examination."
The re-examination for English and Commerce will be held on September 9, while the Sociology examination will take place on September 10.
The NTA said candidates would not have to pay any additional fee for the re-examination. It also said results for the remaining 84 subjects would be declared as scheduled and that seat allocation would not be reduced.