The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the UGC-NET December 2024 examination on account of Pongal, Makar Sankranti and other festivals on Wednesday, January 15. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene and reschedule the examination.
NTA stated that they had received representation to postpone the UGC-NET December 2024 examination in view of the harvest festivals.
“In the interest of aspirants, the NTA has decided to postpone the UGC-NET December 2024 Exam scheduled on January 15 only. The new date of the exam will be announced later. Examination scheduled on January 16 will be conducted as per earlier schedule,” a statement read.
In a letter addressed to the Union Education Minister on Tuesday, CM Stalin had emphasised the cultural and traditional significance of Pongal, describing it as “not just a festival but a total embodiment of Tamil culture and traditional heritage that spans over 3,000 years.”
“The matter was already raised with the Union Minister on December 23, shortly after the NTA released the exam schedule. If the proposed NET exam is held during the Pongal holidays as scheduled, it will cause significant hardship to many candidates,” Stalin had written, pointing out that the Tamil Nadu government has declared public holidays from January 14 to January 17 to mark the harvest festival. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had also urged the Union government to postpone the exam.
The UGC-NET is a national-level examination in India conducted biannually by the NTA on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for awarding Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), appointing assistant professors, and securing admission to PhD programs.
(with IANS inputs)