Reschedule UGC-NET test proposed during Pongal, says Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin appealed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday to reschedule the UGC-NET exams proposed to be held during the Pongal festival season.

Seeking his immediate intervention, the Chief Minister said in a letter addressed to the Central Minister, it was announced that the UGC-NET examinations and other examinations would be held from January 13-16. However, in Tamil Nadu, the Harvest festival Pongal was celebrated for four days from January 13, every year.

"These dates are well known and the entire Tamil community celebrates the four days’ Pongal festival with fervor. The Government of Tamil Nadu has already declared January 14-17 as holidays," the CM said in the letter.

He argued that it would cause hardship to a large number of candidates if the proposed exams were conducted during the Pongal holidays.

"I am given to understand that the Chartered Accountants Foundation examination, January 2025, has already been rescheduled for the same reason," Stalin pointed out.

Hence, he considered that there was a real need to reschedule the exams to appropriate dates, thereby ensuring that students and scholars of Tamil Nadu and other states where the Harvest festival is celebrated could appear for the examinations.