NT As notifies postponing of National Eligibility Test (NET) which was scheduled on January 15, 2025. The test is extremely essential to know one’s eligibility status for Assistant Professors and Junior Research Fellows in universities. Scheduled to be held on a date marked by some major regional festivals, it has been postponed as students have to celebrate Makar Sankranti, Pongal, and other harvest festivals being observed in India.
Reason for Delay:
The decision to delay the January 15 examination was taken based on the various representations from the students and the stakeholders that there was an overlap with major festivals. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had already written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in this regard, requesting a change in the examination date. To all these requests, the NTA decided to postpone the exam for the day since these festivals were important to the aspirants.
Details of the Rescheduled Exam:
The UGC-NET examination scheduled on January 15, 2025, was supposed to be held on 17 subjects, which included mass communication and journalism, Sanskrit, law, Nepali, women’s studies, and Malayalam, among others. These subjects are being examined under the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for 85 subjects from January 3 to January 16, 2025. However, the NTA has assured that the examination on January 16, 2025, will be conducted as per the schedule.
During This Period:
It is the first time the NTA scheduled this national-level examination during this period. It fell close to several harvest festivals, like Makar Sankranti and Pongal. Consequently, the timing raised considerable amount of apprehensions among students that the examination might interfere with their celebrations related to culture and family.
NTA Response:
The National Testing Agency expressed its understanding of the situation and took immediate steps to reschedule the exam. The NTA’s statement confirmed that the exam on January 15 would only be postponed, and all other exams on the following days will proceed as planned. The agency stated that it would announce the fresh dates for the postponed exam soon.
This is not the first time that the UGC-NET exam has been postponed due to external factors. In the previous year, the Education Ministry had postponed the UGC-NET exam as well due to concerns regarding the integrity of the exam, highlighting that the NTA is sensitive to various situations that could affect the exam process.
Next Steps for Candidates:
Candidates who were scheduled to take the exam on January 15, 2025, are advised to stay updated with the NTA’s official notifications. The NTA has assured that the new dates for the postponed exam will be announced in the coming days. The Board is focused on ensuring that the exam process remains transparent and fair for all students, even in challenging circumstances.
The postponement of the January 15 UGC-NET exam reflects the NTA’s commitment to the welfare of candidates and the recognition of significant cultural events. While the rescheduling might cause some inconvenience, it ensures that students can celebrate important festivals without the stress of an impending examination.