UGC-NET exams cancelled; accessibility failure for disabled candidates reveals its dark side [details]

Shocking side of UGC-NET exam controversy: Disability rights still have a long way to go [here’s why]Ian

Another controversy in higher education erupted after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the UGC-NET exams, reportedly affecting around 1.1 million candidates. According to information from the National Cybercrime Threat Analysis Unit of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the integrity of the exams may have been compromised.

It is against this backdrop that disability rights advocates and UGC-NET candidates have taken to social media to raise an important issue. Kavya Mukhija highlighted the dire conditions faced by people trying to appear for the now cancelled exam.

“The NTA needs to recognise that some disabled people have had to travel between cities with their caregivers or parents and overcome poor accessibility to take this exam,” she said in her post.

Mukhija, a wheelchair user, detailed the issues she faced in a public post on ‘X’. Accessibility and mobility were key issues at her exam centre in Rohini.

UGC-NET Centre Requirements for Disabled Candidates Posted by Kavya Mukhija in Official X

The access roads were impassable, there was initially no parking available, and to access the testing center, the ramps were too steep for a “human-controlled wheelchair” and “the bathrooms required several flights of stairs.”

She further said, “The school did not have a wheelchair. One of the candidates, who came from another city, had to crawl to reach the classroom. Even there, she could not use the desk and chair and a separate chair had to be arranged for her.”

I appeared for UGC NET on June 18th, which has now been cancelled. This contest is ableist and does not take into consideration disabled candidates at all.

Here’s what happened: #DisabilityTwitter

— Kavya Mukhija (@KavyaMukhija) June 19, 2024

Mukhija expressed disappointment over the cancellation and raised an important question: “Why did the NTA ask for details of the disability when no arrangements could be made to ensure the centre was accessible?”

She also touched on the issue of insensitivity from exam invigilators, explaining that her mother was not allowed to wait inside the exam hall and had to wait outside.

Following these posts, there was an outpouring of support from the public, signalling the need for concrete action – not just at the physical infrastructure level, but also in terms of ensuring that people with disabilities have access to exams without restrictions and promoting diversity and inclusion.

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