CHENNAI: In a big relief for hundreds of aspirants from Tamil Nadu and other southern states, the National Testing Agency has postponed the UGC–NET examination scheduled on January 15, the day celebrated as Pongal in the State.
However, the relief is only partial, as only the exam scheduled on Tuesday has been postponed, while the tests on the remaining days will be held as announced.
In a statement released on Monday, the National Testing Agency said it received representations to postpone the UGC- NET examination on account of Pongal, Makar Sankranti, and other festivals that are falling on January 15.
“In the interest of aspirants, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to postpone the UGC-NET exam scheduled on January 15 only. The new date of exam will be announced later. Examination scheduled on January 16 will be conducted as per earlier schedule,” the release said.
The examination is for 'award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as assistant professor and admission to Ph.D.
The announcement that came a day ahead of the festival came after several leaders, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan, and Madurai MP Su Venkatesan of the CPM raised the matter with the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Besides Tamil Nadu, other southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka also celebrate the day as Makar Sankranti, which prompted the agency to postpone the test.