Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin Appeals to Reschedule UGC-NET Exams Clashing with Pongal Festivities
The 14-day UGC-NET Exam began on January 3, 2025 will end on January 16, 2025. Exams during this period include subjects such as Public Administration, Economics, and various interdisciplinary fields.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to reschedule the upcoming UGC-NET exams, which are set to be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) from January 13 to 16, 2025. The dates overlap with the Pongal festival, a significant cultural celebration in Tamil Nadu.
In his letter to the Union Minister, CM Stalin highlighted Pongal’s deep cultural and traditional roots, describing it as a “3,000-year-old embodiment of Tamil heritage.” The festival, celebrated for four days starting January 13, involves extensive family and community gatherings, making the scheduled exam period challenging for aspirants in the state.
The Tamil Nadu government has declared public holidays from January 14 to 17 to mark Pongal, further underlining its importance. CM Stalin noted that the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister had previously raised this concern with the Union Minister on December 23, shortly after the exam schedule was released.
Stalin also pointed out that other examinations, such as the Chartered Accountants Foundation Examination, have already been rescheduled in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to avoid clashing with Pongal and Makar Sankranti. He urged the Union government to adopt similar sensitivity in scheduling national-level exams.
UGC-NET December 2024 session
The UGC-NET December 2024 session, conducted to assess eligibility for Assistant Professorships and Junior Research Fellowships, is planned in two shifts each day from January 3 to 16. The NTA has yet to respond to the appeal, but the issue has sparked widespread attention, emphasizing the need to align national examination schedules with regional traditions. The Centre’s decision on rescheduling the exams is awaited, with the appeal underscoring the significance of accommodating regional cultural practices in national-level decisions.
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Abhay an alumnus of IIMC and Delhi University, has over a decade long experience of reporting on various beats of journalism. During his free time he prefers listening to music or play indoor and outdoor games.
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