At JNU, no headway on bid to bring back internal entrance for PhD courses

The JNU Teacher’s Association (JNUTA) condemned "this autocratic style of running meetings by the chair of these bodies, namely the Vice-Chancellor".

The idea of going back to JNUEE was floated after NET was cancelled in June. (File)

A proposal to potentially bring back in-house PhD entrance exams at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was not tabled at the varsity’s Academic Council meeting last week with the administration maintaining that no feedback was received in writing from school deans more than two months after the consideration was announced. The faculty members, on the other hand, claimed the response sent by all schools was not taken up at the meeting.

With the claims and counterclaims, uncertainty over the matter continued at the central varsity.

“The response sent by all schools to the matter discussed in the July 3 meeting of the VC with the Deans and Chairpersons of Special Centres regarding holding of in-house JNU PhD Entrance Examinations for 2024-26 was neither tabled by the administration nor allowed to be raised by any member,” JNU Teacher’s Association (JNUTA) stated Friday.

The teacher’s body also condemned “this autocratic style of running meetings by the chair of these bodies, namely the Vice-Chancellor”. “No ‘decisions’ taken in such a non-meeting have any legitimacy,” it added.

“The item was not placed in the AC meeting as the request for JNUEE (JNU entrance exam) has not come in writing from any dean or special centre chairperson,” an official on the condition of anonymity told The Indian Express.

The idea of going back to JNUEE was floated after the UGC National Eligibility Test — crucial for entry-level teaching jobs and PhD admissions at universities — was cancelled on June 19 following inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs that “the integrity of the examination may have been compromised”. In July, JNU said it would take eight weeks to arrive at a final decision on returning to the in-house exams.

No to ‘central interference’

JNUTA‘s statement Friday also criticised the Union Education Ministry‘s proposal in August to include its nominee in the Executive Council of all central universities, including JNU and DU, to “ensure uniformity in governance”. The ministry “requested” universities to take “necessary steps to amend their statutes” to comply with the proposal. “Out of 48 Central Universities, 20 have already included a representative of the Ministries in their EC, while 28 …do not currently have any such representation,” the ministry had stated in a letter.

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However, JNUTA said the request for amendment “completely undermines the Act from which the statutes derive their legitimacy”. “This is nothing but a nefarious attempt to undermine the law of the land that vests the powers of awarding degrees only to Universities that are created through acts of legislatures – whose precise logic is that these institutions have to be autonomous bodies and not be departments of the government,” JNUTA stated.

DU has faced similar backlash after it placed the proposal on its agenda for the EC meeting on October 14.

“The addition of a representative of the Ministry of Education in the executive is unacceptable as this would increase the inference of government in the day-to-day decision-making of the university and adversely affect the concept of autonomy,” said EC member Professor Aman Kumar.

A DU official said, “When the university receives a letter from the government, it has to follow it. We have introduced this proposal as an agenda item in the EC meeting and it is up for full-fledged deliberation”.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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