The UGC NET (National Eligibility Test), which was set to commence on May 2, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. The National Testing Agency in a public notice on Tuesday announced that it has decided to postpone the UGC-NET December 2020 cycle (May 2021) Examination, “looking at the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well-being of the candidates and examination functionaries.” The exam was scheduled to be conducted across India from May 2 to May 17 2021, covering 81 subjects.
NTA’s notice said that the revised dates for the exam will be announced later, at least 15 days before the examination.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced the decision on Twitter. “Keeping in mind the safety & well-being of candidates and exam functionaries during #covid19outbreak, I have advised @DG_NTA to postpone the UGC-NET Dec 2020 cycle (May 2021) exams,” he tweeted.
Many crucial exams scheduled to take place over the coming months have been postponed amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The NEET-PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Postgraduate) exam, scheduled to be held on April 18, has been postponed, along with the April 2021 session of JEE (Main), scheduled to be held on April 27, 28, and 30. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled its class 10 board exams, and postponed class 12 board exams. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) had earlier postponed both Class 10 and 12 board exams. However, on Monday, it announced that the ICSE Class 10 board examinations will be cancelled.
The UGC-NET is conducted on behalf of University Grants Commission (UGC), for postgraduate students to qualify for Assistant Professorship and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for Indian universities and colleges. The exam is usually conducted twice a year. Last year, due the pandemic, the June 2020 cycle of the exam was deferred and was held between September and November 2020. The December 2020 cycle had to be postponed to May 2021.