'Your years are being stolen': Rahul Gandhi slams NTA over UGC-NET re-exam for 3 subjects

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the National Testing Agency NTA after it announced a reexamination for UGCNET papers in three subjects alleging that examination irregularities were costing students valuable time and causing them significant hardshipThe NTA announced on Sunday that it would reconduct the University Grants CommissionNational Eligibility Test UGCNET for English Sociology and Commerce after multiple errors were found in the question papers The decision has added to criticism surrounding the agencys handling of competitive examinationsRahul Gandhi targets NTA over reexaminationIn a post on X Gandhi questioned the decision to cancel the three examinations after candidates had already appeared for them and waited for the resultsModi ji look at what your NTA has just done UGCNET exams for Sociology English and Commerce were held between 22 and 30 June Nearly two months later NTA has cancelled all three because it set faulty papers and repeated old questionsThousands 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 saidGandhi also referred to his earlier interactions with students in Kota Dehradun and Prayagraj During his Chhatron Ki Goonj programmes he said he had argued that the existing system was failing studentsThe Congress leader recalled that he had stated that this is no longer an education system but an extraction machineQuestions raised over paper errorsGandhi alleged that the examination system was taking a significant toll on students while failing to provide adequate accountability for errorsIt takes your money your years your mental health and your confidence and returns nothing Not even a job NTA still wont answer the real question were these papers leaked before the exam he saidHe also criticised the leadership of the testing agency and questioned whether those responsible for the errors would face consequencesJust like every other arm of the Modi government NTA never says its their fault Just like every other compromised paper I am absolutely sure there will be no accountability Dharmendra Pradhans resignation was the first step not the last NTAs leadership must be held accountable too Gandhi statedHe further said students appearing for the examinations again should not be held responsible for the disruptionTo every student sitting this exam again in September you are not the problem PM Modi built a system that cannot run an exam and then blames the students who take it Your years are being stolen and we will not stop until PM Modi answers for it he addedNTA announces fresh examination datesThe NTA said the Sociology examination will be held again on September 10 while the English and Commerce examinations will be reconducted on September 9The agency said the decision followed complaints received from candidates regarding multiple errors in the three question papers A committee was subsequently constituted to examine the complaints and assess the errorsBased on the committees recommendations the NTA decided to conduct the examinations again to ensure a fair and errorfree examination officials saidThe agency also clarified that candidates appearing for the reexamination would not have to pay any additional fee It said seat allocation would not be reduced because of the reexaminationOther UGCNET results to follow scheduleThe NTA said the results for the remaining 84 subjects would be declared as scheduledThe UGCNET is conducted to determine eligibility for appointment as entrylevel Assistant Professors admission to PhD programmes and the award of Junior Research Fellowship JRF in government and private universitiesThe UGCNET 2026 examination was conducted in June across 87 subjects However the NTA faced criticism over the delay in releasing the answer keyThe provisional answer key was released on Sunday following which the agency said it received several complaints regarding the English Commerce and Sociology papersThe decision to conduct fresh examinations for the three subjects means candidates who had already completed the tests will have to appear again despite having spent time and money preparing for and travelling to examination centresNTA faces renewed scrutiny over exam managementThe latest controversy comes after the testing agency faced intense public criticism over the NEET paper leak case The NTA subsequently underwent changes as the government moved to strengthen its examination processes and address concerns surrounding the conduct of competitive examinationsSubodh Kumar Singh was removed as Director General of the NTA while 47 NTA officials faced termination from service alongside impending criminal proceedings according to the information providedThe latest UGCNET controversy has once again brought the agencys examination procedures under scrutiny While the NTA has said the reexamination is intended to ensure fairness for candidates the decision has also forced thousands of students to repeat examinations they had already taken