With the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) disagreeing with the State government’s decision to cancel arrear exams and the Madras High Court expressing concern, the Higher Education Department has decided to work out the possibility of conducting exams if the verdict goes against the decision to scrap exams.
Chennai:
The government had cancelled arrear exams for college students, except those in final year, and asked institutions to award mark under the formula where 70 per cent weightage would be given for internal marks and 30 per cent for previous semester exams.
However, the decision to cancel exams was challenged in Madras High Court. During the hearing, the AICTE said in its submission that the move was against the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Even the court asked how the government could declare all pass, especially the students who have arrears.
Though the case has now been posted to November and the government is confident of defending its decision, a senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that a committee has already commenced discussions on being prepared to conduct arrear exams if the court quashes the government order.
“The panel members will also discuss whether to conduct the exams online or ask students to appear for them at their colleges,” said the official, adding that the State authorities would take a cue from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which had successfully conducted NEET for lakhs of candidates across the country.
“In addition, the committee will also discuss with AICTE on granting more time to conduct exams as the spread of coronavirus cases has not subsided in the State,” he added.
The panel would invite representatives from all State-run universities, including Anna University, to discuss whether exams could be conducted at one go or in a phased manner to ensure the safety of students.
“A detail report will be prepared after discussing with various stakeholders, which would be submitted to the government for further action,” he added.
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