New Delhi: Following a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to postpone the UGC-National Eligibility Test (NET) scheduled to be held from 2 to 17 May.

“Looking at the present situation of the Covid-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well-being of the candidates and examination functionaries, it has been decided to postpone the UGC-NET December 2020 cycle (May 2021) examination,” the NTA said in a statement.

Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union Minister for Education, said that the well-being of the students was paramount. He announced on Twitter “Keeping in mind the safety & well-being of candidates and exam functionaries during #covid19outbreak, I have advised @DG_NTA to postpone the UGC-NET Dec 2020 cycle (May 2021) exams.”

Lakhs of candidates have registered for the UGC NET 2021 May examinations. The examinations for December cycle had been postponed and is being conducted in May.

Earlier, the NTA has postponed the JEE Main 2021 for the April session. The JEE Main 2021 April session was scheduled for 27 to 30 April.