JNUEE: NTA’s Flawed Answer Keys Worry Aspirants

The aspirants who appeared for Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE) this year are in a fix after the National Testing Agency has released the answer keys. The aspirants have alleged that not only the agency’s answer keys contain several wrong answers, but the process to correct them may cost the students exorbitantly. 

The agency has fixed a fee of Rs 1,000 to challenge the answer of one question. The amount is to be refunded if the claim of the aspirant is found true. Kokil Das, a student of Ambedkar University Delhi, told NewsClick that he found at least five answers which were wrongly marked ‘correct’ in the answer keys. He said, “I and other friends who were seeking admission for the MA Development and Labour Studies course found five wrong answers. Now, it means that a student would have to spend Rs 5,000 for challenging these answers. I could challenge only one question as I did not have enough money to challenge all of the answers. However, I learned that other students have challenged those.”

“The most disturbing part about the process is the opaque manner in which the National Testing Agency framed its rules. It released the answer keys on October 20 and wanted students to submit their challenges by October 22. I think it was done in order to discourage aspirants from challenging the answers. What is more perturbing is that the agency has fixed two different charges for two different universities. While it asked Rs 1,000 from JNU aspirants, it only demanded Rs 200 from Delhi University aspirants,” added Das. 

Sayamsiddha, a student of MA Political Science, who has written to the agency regarding the discrepancies, told NewsClick,” We guide aspirants from marginalised backgrounds seeking admission in the university  every year. As soon as the agency uploaded its answer keys on the website, we started getting frantic calls from the aspirants about the wrong answers. When I evaluated the answer keys, I found that it had marked six wrong options as correct. For example, the question number 65 was about sustainable energy and the options were “clean, clean and usable, unusable”. As per the answer key, sustainable energy is unusable, but it is simply wrong. The students are anxious about their results now because the agency has not yet responded to the queries. The second important but dubious part is that the JNU is known for its inclusiveness and the students from the marginalised sections come here to pursue their studies. You are demanding a hefty amount from them in the midst of a pandemic where families are already financially stressed. It is unfair.”

Irfan Ahmad Nazeer, a student of Masters in Politics and International studies, in his email to agency, has highlighted six wrong answers in the question paper of MA Political Science with specialisation in International Relations and MA in International Relations and Area Studies.

The National Testing Agency will be reconducting the entrance tests for M Phil and Ph D in Historical Studies after the students alleged that the question papers were replete with wrong options.

NTA Director General Vineet Joshi could not be reached for his comment despite several attempts.

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