More than 6 lakh candidates have registered for the entrance tests, Uday Samant said The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) cell is conducting a survey on the feasibility of conducting entrance tests across the state. An announcement in this regard is expected within a week, said State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant, who was visiting Pune on Thursday.
“…An assessment is underway to see if exams can be conducted at the district level, keeping in mind physical distancing restrictions, or at the taluka level, if adequate infrastructure is available. A committee headed by Dr Abhay Wagh, director of technical education, and Dr Dhanraj Mane, director of higher education, has been constituted to conduct the survey and submit a report,” he said.
More than 6 lakh candidates have registered for the entrance tests, which decide admissions to 14 technical and professional courses. “Given the number of students who have registered for the exams, it is a big challenge for us,” he added.
If entrance exams cannot be conducted, then admission to professional and technical courses can be done on the basis of Class XII scores as well, he said. Samant was in Pune to review the upcoming Teachers Training Academy.
Many colleges and hostels have been turned into quarantine centres, and this is another reason for concern while conducting exams, he said. A meeting will be held in the next 7-8 days and a decision will be taken soon, he added. Samant said the state government has submitted to the court that final year degree college exams for non-agricultural universities cannot be held due to the Covid-19 crisis. He said miscommunication regarding the state government’s stand has spread.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended that all universities should conduct exams by the end of September for final year degree students. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case on a batch of pleas on the conduct of final year degree exams. Whereas the Maharashtra and Delhi government have said through an affidavit that the exams cannot be conducted, the UGC has submitted that the decision not to conduct the final term examination will “directly impact the standards of higher education in the country”. The next hearing will be held on August 14.