In early eighties, it was increasingly felt by public and leading educationists alike that quality of education system in India had deteriorated as a large number of people who had neither the competence nor the aptitude for teaching made an easy entry into the teaching profession. The cause for this was identified to be the absence of a Benchmark Qualifying test for entering into teaching profession.

Therefore, the Government on India, through a notification on on 22nd July, 1988 entrusted the task of conducting the eligibility test for Lectureship to UGC. UGC was already conducting an examination for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) since 1984. As a result of this 1988 notification; UGC is conducting the National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET)for Lectureship as well as with CSIR (CSIR-UGC NET) for both Lectureships as well as for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)since 1989.