UGC asks all varsity VCs to publicise 'National Cow Science Exam' to be held on Feb 25

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written a letter to all the Vice-Chancellors across India, and asked them to 'encoruage' the students to appear for the Kamdehnu Gau Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Examination. The UGC aims to test the knowledge of people in India about 'cow-science'. The National Cow Science Exam that will be held on February 25, is being organised by the Rashtriya Kamdehnu Aayog (RKA) that is attached to the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry.

Students or non-students, all are eligible to appear for the examination. It will be conducted for five categories — students upto Class 8 under primary category; students from Class 9 to Class 12 under secondary category; college and university students; the general public and NRIs. 

The letter also asks the VCs to filter the publicity initiative down to their member and affiliate institutions.

The one-hour-long exam will be conducted for free in 12 regional languages across four different levels. The development comes a month after the RKA Chariman, Vallabhbhai Kathiria, had written to the Minister of State for Education, Sanjay Dhotra — asking for support to publicise the much-touted exam.

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An excerpt from his letter had read, "I request you to advise the Secretary (Higher Education)/Secretary (SEL) and the concerned officials of UGC, AICTE, Central Universities, IIT, IIM, NITs, CBSE. Kendriya Vidyalayas. NIOH, IGNOU, and other Central Governmental educational institutes to issue necessary instructions for help in the online Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Parchar-Prasar Examination and give wide publicity to make the examination a great success."

While at least a thousand institutions operate under UGC, it is unclear as to how many students will appear for the exam. On Wednesday, the VCs of Kannur University and Calicut University denied having received any letter from the UGC. The VC of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University said that, “There will be no compulsion. Those who are interested can participate. We will anyway circulate the message.”

Talking about the syllabus, the initial exam material had claimed that cow dung protects the environment from nuclear radiation, while also drawing a link between slaughtering cows and earthquakes. 

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