Will UGC scrap final year exams? Well, this could be true as far as HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank's direction to the organization is concerned. In a tweet, the minister asked the UGC to "revisit" its guidelines on university semester exams and academic calendar. He further said that the "foundation for revisited guidelines" should be the "health and safety of students and teachers" amid the coronavirus crisis.
"I have advised the UGC to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and Terminal Semester examinations and academic calendar. The foundation of revisited guidelines shall be health and safety of students, teachers and staff," Pokhriyal said on Twitter.
As per the earlier issued guidelines for the examinations and academic calendar, the UGC had asked for the exams of final semester students to be conducted in July. It had also said that the new academic session for freshers may begin in universities from September and for already enrolled students in August.
"Intermediate students will be graded based on an internal assessment of the present and previous semester. In states where the COVID-19 situation has normalised, there will be exams in the month of July. For terminal semester students, exams will be held in July," the UGC had said.
Meanwhile, a panel appointed by the UGC has also suggested that all examinations, including exams for final year, should be cancelled. The panel headed by Haryana University Vice-Chancellor RC Kuhad came up with the recommendation that students should be evaluated on the basis of their previous semester examinations and internal assessments. According to the committee, holding exams at this time would put lakhs of students at risk of exposure and increase the rate of spread of COVID-19.
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