The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which used to conduct the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), a national scholarship exam for class 10 students annually, has not done so since 2021. Many academically talented poor students pin their hopes on the NTSE monthly scholarship as it continues till they complete their studies.
The exam was scheduled and postponed in 2021, after many students had even paid the fees, due to the pandemic. NCERT has not been seeking applications since then.
“I applied for NTSE in 2021 when I was in class 10, and now I am doing my undergraduate studies, but the exam hasn’t been held till now, even as the country has passed over the pandemic crisis and all other national exams are being held regularly,” said Rajesh S., a student.
How exams are held
The NTSE exam has two stages. The State-level examination (Stage 1), held by the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), is divided into two parts: part 1 is the mental aptitude test, and part 2 is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The national-level examination (Stage 2), held by NCERT, is conducted for candidates who qualify in the Stage 1 examination.
The candidates who pass NTSE will get a scholarship of ₹1,250 per month up to completion of class 12 and ₹2,000 a month in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. An NTSE scholar also gets a scholarship for a Ph.D. as per the University Grant Commission norms.
Other advantages
Apart from scholarships, NTSE scholars have other facilities. Several prestigious institutes reserve seats for NTSE scholars, who are inducted without entrance tests. They are also perceived to have an edge when studying in foreign universities.
The last time NCERT sought applications for NTSE was in 2021, and the exam was scheduled to be held on December 15, 2021. However, due to the second wave of the pandemic, it was temporarily postponed and has not been held since.
Sumangala V., Director, DSERT, said they had not received any information from NCERT about holding NTSE for three years now. However, she added that on behalf of the State government, they were conducting the National Means cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) exam and providing scholarships to talented students of the State.
