UGC secretary on final year exams: Special examination for students who'll miss it

Days after University Grant Commission (UGC) announced that final year examinations for graduation and post-graduation courses will be conducted in September, UGC Secretary has told that the safety of students was its prime concern. Speaking to news agency ANI, UGC Secretary Professor Rajnish Jain said that the authorities are aware of the COVID situation in the country and hence have ordered examination for only the terminal year.

This comes as parents, students, and various state governments have raised their objection on the safety and security of the students after UGC decided to conduct examinations even as COVID cases are on the rise. Jain further stated that if in any case, students could not appear in examination then Universities will conduct special examination for those students. 

"We are conducting examination only for the terminal semester or the final year. Conducting final year examination of graduation or post-graduation is very important while the safety and security of students is our prime concern. We have come to know that some states announced that examination will not be conducted but we have uniformity across the nation and therefore the guidelines are to be adopted and UGC guidelines they should adopt and they should conduct the examination for the final year students." he said.

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Prof Jain also added: "At the same time, we have to see that examination is an integral part of the higher education system for any other education system. We are conducting examination only for the terminal semester or the final year students for the Universities and colleges while maintaining safety security and all other protocol of the governments. It was decided by union health ministry that all the protocols are be followed and everything will be followed in place for the long term interest of students so, therefore, it is recommended that we should conduct the final semester examination," he said.

As states oppose UGC's direction on final year exams,

READ | UGC Exam Guidelines should be advisory not mandatory says Maharashtra Education Minister

Political parties oppose move 

West Bengal's Principal Secretary of the Department of Higher Education and School Education Department urged Centre to re-examine the matter in the interest of the physical and mental well-being of students. Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore also condemned the decision.

Maharashtra minister of technical and higher education Uday Samant said that he has written to the HRD Minister urging him to make the UGC guidelines on conducting the examinations as 'advisory' and not 'mandatory.' He has also said that it will not be possible to conduct final-year exams at universities by September-end amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra. 

READ | UGC allows final year exams to be held in September; issues fresh guidelines for colleges

UGC guidelines for exams

As the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) permitted universities to conduct examinations during the Unlock period, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued revised guidelines for exams and academic calendar in view of Coronavirus pandemic. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has confirmed that final year examinations will now be conducted in September.

READ | 'No one except Maharashtra': BJP tells Uddhav govt to avoid politics over UGC's decision

(with ANI inputs)