UGC asks states to conduct final year exams – offline or online to be decided by colleges

Universities and colleges can opt to conduct exams through online, offline or blended mode.

The University Grant Commission on Thursday said that conducting final year examinations for graduation or post-graduation courses was very important but the safety of students was its prime concern. It, however, said that all states should conduct exams for final year students. “Universities and colleges can opt to conduct exams through online, offline or blended mode. Guidelines for the conduct of exams have been issued on the basis of the Standard Operating Procedure suggested by the Health Ministry. All states should conduct exams for final year students,” UGC Secretary Prof Rajnish Jain was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

This Monday, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal shared a report of a committee set up to deliberate and make recommendations regarding the issue related to examinations and academic calendar. The committee recommended that the terminal semester/final years examination be conducted by the universities/institutions by the end of September 2020 in offline (pen/paper)/online/blended (online+offline) mode.

The recommendation was welcomed by several heads of universities and institutions. For instance, JNU vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said that it was a student supportive measure and he welcomed that. “Considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation and the future of students across the country, UGC has issued the revised guidelines for the conduct of end semester examinations and new academic calendar. I welcome this proactively student supportive measure,” he said in a tweet.

Gujarat Central University Vice Chancellor Rama Shanker Dubey said that it was a welcome and laudable step taken by MHRD and UGC to conduct end semester examinations of students in September 2020. “Students will get full justice with this decision. This will help students in properly shaping their career,” he said.

There was a huge uncertainty over the possibility of examinations due to rising Covid cases in India. But now with UGC guidelines in place, the universities and colleges will hold the examination for final year students.