Jodhpur (Rajasthan): The National Testing Agency (NTA) has cancelled the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) for the four-year integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) due to technical issues. The exam, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, was cancelled after students and parents protested outside the examination centres.

The ITEP program is a new initiative introduced by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to replace the existing B.A. B.Ed and B.Sc. B.Ed programs. The program is being implemented across the country, including in central, state, and private universities, as well as in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). IIT Jodhpur has also introduced a four-year B.Sc. B.Ed program with 50 seats.

The NCET-2024 exam was conducted online from 2 pm to 5 pm, but due to technical issues with the NTA's servers, the exam could not start in most of the cities, including Jodhpur. The mathematics paper was not available until 5 pm, while the biology, commerce, and arts papers were available for only half an hour. Students and parents who had gathered at the examination centres protested and demanded action. The NTA held an emergency meeting and later announced the cancellation of the exam.

The exam was originally scheduled to be held in 160 cities across the country, with 292 examination centres and 66 subjects. Over 40,000 students had registered for the exam, with around 29,000 students appearing for it. In Jodhpur, two examination centres were set up, and around 500 students enrolled there. The new exam date will be announced soon.

The incident has sparked outrage among students and parents, who had been preparing for the exam for months. The NTA has apologised for the inconvenience caused and has promised to announce a new exam date soon.