Bengaluru: E-attendance dips after minister's no-exam talk

BENGALURU: Attendance at undergraduate online classes is dipping over the past week, according to colleges in Bengaluru.
Colleges said students are taking things easy after Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was quoted as saying at a webinar that if things do not improve by July, then exams will be held only for final year of higher education courses, while first-year and second-year students could be promoted based on internal assessments or the previous year's performance.
The minister was quoting UGC guidelines at the webinar held on May 28 and in which 45,000 higher educational institutions participated. The Karnataka government has not taken any decision yet on exams or start of academic sessions. UGC's guidelines are not mandatory in nature. The ministry of home affairs, in its latest guidelines, say a decision on reopening colleges and schools will be taken in July.