MHA clears university exams in letter to MHRD; UGC guidelines still awaited

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs has permitted universities and colleges to hold examinations. The MHA has asked the examinations to be conducted "compulsorily" by the guidelines of the University Grants Commission and as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The Home Ministry communicated its decision in a letter to the higher education secretary today.

As per the MHA statement: “The final Term Examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities, and as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.”

Prior to MHA guidelines, six states and several central universities had already cancelled or postponed exams for final-year students.

However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is also likely to come up with a fresh set of guidelines for conducting the examination of final year students.

Students across the country have been appealing to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the UGC to cancel the examination. Earlier in June, Union HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' also hinted at the cancellation of examination and said that he has advised the UGC to "revisit" the exam-related guidelines.

Pokhriyal tweeted: “I have advised the @ugc_india to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and Terminal Semester examinations and academic calendar. The foundation for revisited guidelines shall be health and safety students, teachers and staff.”

India's tally of COVID-19 today crossed 7 lakh mark with the toll standing at 19,797, climbing to the third position among the worst-affected nations.

Earlier in April, UGC issued examinations-related guidelines and academic calendar to the universities in view of the COVID-19 lockdown. It asked universities to hold the terminal exam in July and evaluate students of intermediate semesters based on internal assessment of the present and previous semester.

Also read:

• UGC likely to issue revised guidelines on semester exams today
• UGC revisiting guidelines on final semester exams: HRD Minister
  

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