COVID-19 lockdown: Early exams may leave University of Kerala students in lurch

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pratheesh, a final year degree student of a college affiliated to the University of Kerala, is stuck at his relative’s house at Roypuram in Chennai ever since the lockdown began. He had gone to Chennai in mid-March but was forced to extend his stay owing to the travel restrictions.

With the government directing state universities to prepare exam schedules so as to conduct them soon after the lockdown, many students like Pratheesh are a worried lot.

Reports have emerged that some of the universities are planning to conduct the examinations in the fourth week of May when the current phase of the lockdown would come to an end.

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Pratheesh says he and many others students who are stuck in various COVID-19 hotspots will be unable to appear for the exams.

“Since I would return from a COVID-19 hotspot, authorities in Kerala are sure to place me in quarantine. This means, I will miss the final semester examinations if it’s held early,” Pratheesh said over phone from Chennai.

UGC’s directive 

Interestingly, the government’s directive to varsities to conduct examinations at the earliest is in sharp contrast to the recommendations of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The UGC had recommended that university exams should be conducted in July.

While final semester exams can be conducted in July, the students in intermediate semesters could be graded based on internal assessment of the present and previous semesters, the UGC recommended.