Saumya Gupta and Thirunavukarasu S 
With the National Testing Agency (NTA) – and by proxy the Union government – having locked horns with students and political parties in Tamil Nadu over the schedule for the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) exams, which coincide with Pongal celebrations in the state, the agency on Monday (January 13) evening abruptly rescheduled those exams originally set to take place on January 15 to a yet-unspecified date.
The NTA first notified the days on which the UGC-NET would be held on December 19, immediately after which a volley of questions were directed at it and at the concerned ministries. Despite this, it issued hall tickets for the exams and no response could be elicited from officials until about 36 hours before the exams scheduled for January 15 were to take place.
However, neither the NTA nor Tamil Nadu are new to such skirmishes. In November, deputy general secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Lok Sabha MP from Thoothukudi, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (who is also sister of chief minister M.K. Stalin), ragingly took to social media to register her protest against the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for its decision to conduct the CA foundation examination on Pongal.
Insisting that Pongal is Tamil Nadu’s “most celebrated cultural festival” and that the ICAI’s decision to hold the exam during Pongal was a “deliberate attack on our identity and heritage”, Kanimozhi said the Union government “must direct the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, under which ICAI operates, to reschedule the exam”.
Echoing similar concerns, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan said, as per IANS: “The central [Union] government must take appropriate action and immediately revise the exam dates to honour Tamil traditions and the cultural significance of these festivals.”
The political commitment from different outfits like the DMK and the CPI(M), and perhaps discontent among students in Tamil Nadu, persuaded the ICAI to reconsider its decision and reschedule the exam to accommodate their concerns.
Concern over NET schedule not necessarily limited to Tamil Nadu
However, this sense of reassurance would be short-lived. Tamil Nadu soon became positioned for another tussle when the NTA scheduled the UGC-NET exams between January 3 and 16, which coincides with Pongal celebrations between January 14 and 16.
This concern was not just limited to Pongal or Tamil Nadu – the second week of January is marked by several auspicious harvest festivals across India that are aligned with the apparent movement of the sun with respect to the earth during this time, such as Lohri in Punjab, Poush Parbon in West Bengal, Makar Sankranti in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and the Telugu states, and Magh Bihu in the northeast, just to name some.
Considering the fact that this time of the year has a cultural and traditional significance in many states of the country, it is imperative for a Union government agency to take cognisance of such concerns in a timely manner. A disregard of regional traditions – and thus an indifference to regional autonomy – is a source of concern for India, which is a union of states.
That states can bargain with and lobby the Union government regarding their policy and legislative preferences is part of the inclusive approach our federal system provides for. And it is well-established that “legislating by consensus, rather than by majority rule, produces more efficient unions”, as articulated by the authors of this paper.
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Controversy occurs at a time when NTA’s credibility under question
If students eagerly checked the UGC and the NTA’s websites and social media handles expecting a revision in the NET exam schedule, they received no solace for weeks. Stalin had also written to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan earlier this month insisting that the NET exams be rescheduled.
In the past year, the NTA came under scrutiny for the NEET-UG paper leak and the NET’s integrity being possibly compromised. This along with its insufficiently considering regional concerns has brought the credibility of the agency and its capacity to handle the scale of operations it leads into question.
The NTA was established with the cabinet’s nod as a premier, specialist autonomous organisation to coordinate various stakeholders like the UGC, the Medical Council of India, the All India Council for Technical Education and other higher education institutions to conduct their exams to select qualifying students.
In 2023, approximately 13.3 million students registered with the NTA for various exams. This number dropped to 8.5 million in 2024, possibly hinting at growing concerns regarding its mechanisms and processes.
Given that the NTA conducts exams for millions of students every academic year and thus plays a crucial role in their academic and professional careers, it bears a responsibility to provide them with a level playing field and also to enable them to fulfil their potential by providing them with favourable exam circumstances.
Hence, a sharp attention to detail in matters of regional concerns is fundamental when making decisions about exam schedules.
Way forward
While the NTA’s modifying the UGC-NET exam schedule has freed students from having to choose between exam and festival, it has by announcing the change at the last minute thrown students for a loop. Its abrupt decision will likely impact many students either in terms of their stress levels or in terms of material loss they may suffer by having to cancel their travel plans or reschedule them at short notice.
A way forward for the NTA could be taking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)’s lead. When the Election Commission last year declared the dates for the general elections, the UPSC acted promptly and adjusted the schedule for the preliminary Civil Services Exam in light of the election schedule, giving ample time to candidates to recalibrate their preparation and manage travel tickets and accommodation.
The NTA can also work with state governments and collate a comprehensive calendar of festivals and other regional events and leverage this so that each student has a chance to make use of career opportunities as well as participate in community traditions.
The agency must pre-emptively acknowledge the diverse landscape of India’s cultural geography and work to provide exam schedules that are as reasonable and desirable as possible. Its role of conducting national-level exams and announcing their results is not just a mechanical one, but one that must involve acknowledging the diversity of all stakeholders and incorporating an attitude whereby all voices are heard and respected.
This would also restore a semblance of autonomy on part of the states and cooperation between them and the Union.
The harvest festivals are marked by a preparation of rice in several states. There is a proverb which reads as follows: “The riper the rice, the more deeply it bows,” which means that as one’s learning and skills deepen, so does one’s humility.
One hopes that as the rice grows and bows as it nears the harvest season, the Union government’s agencies deepen their learning about the myriad juggernaut of cultural needs, ideas and consciousnesses that this country is.
Saumya Gupta is an an independent political and legislative consultant. Thirunavukarasu S. is a junior research fellow and doctoral scholar at the department of defence and strategic studies at the University of Madras.