Putting students in a dilemma, the University Grants Commission’s National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board’s Trained Graduate Teacher’s examination (DSSSB-TGT) will be coinciding with each other this year for the second consecutive time as both the exams are on December 28. While UGC released the date for the NET way back in September, DSSSB released its date only in November.
Most people prefer to sit for both these examinations as they are not sure which one they would clear. Thus, one of these becomes as a back-up option for many. In some cases students want to clear both the exams. However, now they have to wait for a whole year to be able to give both the exams. “I want to give both the papers and I cannot wait for another year. The dates are coinciding and now I don’t know which paper I should sit for. This is like a trap and an utter inconvenience for us,” said one of the applicants for both exams.
UGC applications were out much earlier than the DSSSB applications, thus most applicants blame DSSSB for purposely putting the exam on the same day. However, on speaking with DSSSB chairman Janak Degal, he said, “Many organisations conduct such examinations and we have to go by what suits our schedule. We only set this date because it was the only date we could hold the exam. If it coincides with UGC’s NET then it has not been done intentionally. We can’t change the dates now.”
This means that now students would have to choose between which exam they want to sit for. “We are the ones who are suffering all the time. This issue needs to be addressed,” said another applicant.