(Image source from: mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com)

The government has decided to scrap examinations for final year students of universities and higher educational institutions across India. The new academic session is likely to commence in October.

Union HRD minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal has recommended the UGC (University Grant Commission) to revisit its guidelines issued for intermediate and final year semesters of universities considering the COVID-19 wave across the country. He also advised the committee to come up with a revised date for the next academic session.

The revised guidelines are expected to be announced in a week’s time.

The meeting between HRD minister and UGC was set up by the UGC committee and the panel was presided by Haryana Vice Chancellor. The government has advised the panel to come up with alternative options.

The ministry has made it precise to panel that the revamped guidelines must give priority to the safety of students, teachers, and staff.  

Considering the ministry’s recommendation, the UGC committee is keen on canceling the final year exams and awarding marks to the students based on previous performances.

A senior official has said that those students who are not happy with their previous performances can improvise their scores by taking the examinations after the pandemic subsides.

“Similarly, the commencement of new academic session, which was earlier planned from August and fresher’s from September, is also likely to be deferred to October”, the official said.

After the nation-wide lockdown has been imposed across the country from March 24, schools and colleges were hit badly by the decision since then.

The UGC, in April, formed two committees to deal with the issues arising to the academic institutions due to the lockdown.

One of the committee is led by R C Kuhad, Vice Chancellor of Haryana University, and discussed on the ways to conduct examinations in July despite the lockdown.

The second committee was formed to suggest measures to improve the online education mode of study. The committee was headed by Nageshwar Rao, vice chancellor of IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University).

Based on the suggestions by these two panels, HRD ministry announced guidelines to conduct examinations in July.

The UGC recommended that, the intermediate students can either be evaluated based on previous assessments or can take the exams in July in areas where the COVID-19 situation is under control.

However, due to an increase in coronavirus cases, various states have recommended cancellation of final year exams. States like Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh have already announced their decision to cancel exams considering the pandemic.

This cancellation decision by the government will likely put to rest the tiff between DU administration, students and teachers over the DU’s decision to conduct OBE (Open Book Examination) online.

This news of cancelation came at a time when IIT’s are contemplating to start new academic session through online mode. According to sources, the government will permit Ph.D students to go to campuses while B.Tech and M.tech students will continue the online classes.  

The decision to cancel final year exams will apply to 40 central universities and 100’s of state, private and deemed universities across India.

By Gayatri Yellayi